( 

THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS 
OF   NEW   ENGLAND 


OR 


Myths  and  Folk  Lore  oftbe  Micmac,  Passa- 
maqiioddy,  and  Penobscot  Tribes 


BY 

CHARLES   G.  LELAND 


THIRD    EDITION 


BOSTON 
HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND   COMPANY 

New  York:    11    East  Seventeenth  Street 

,  Camfcriti0e 


Copyright,  1884, 
BY  CHARLES   G.  LELAND. 


All  rights  reserved. 


The  Riverside  Press,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  U.  S.  A. 
Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  II.  0.  Houghton  &  Ccmpany. 


E 


PEEFACE. 


WHEN  I  began,  in  the  summer  of  1882,  to  collect 
among  the  Passamaquoddy  Indians  at  Campobello,  New 
Brunswick,  their  traditions  and  folk-lore,  I  expected 
to  find  very  little  indeed.  These  Indians,  few  in 
number,  surrounded  by  white  people,  and  thoroughly 
converted  to  Roman  Catholicism,  promised  but  scanty 
remains  of  heathenism.  What  was  my  amazement, 
however,  at  discovering,  day  by  day,  that  there  existed 
among  them,  entirely  by  oral  tradition,  a  far  grander 
mythology  than  that  which  has  been  made  known 
to  us  by  either  the  Chippewa  or  Iroquois  Hiawatha 
Legends,  and  that  this  was  illustrated  by  an  incredible 
number  of  tales.  I  soon  ascertained  that  these  were 
very  ancient.  The  old  people  declared  that  they  had 
heard  from  their  progenitors  that  all  of  these  stories 
were  once  sung;  that  they  themselves  remembered 
when  many  of  them  were  poems.  This  was  fully 
proved  by  discovering  manifest  traces  of  poetry  in 
many,  and  finally  by  receiving  a  long  Micmac  tale 
which  had  been  sung  by  an  Indian.  I  found  that  all 
the  relaters  of  this  lore  were  positive  as  to  the  an 
tiquity  of  the  narratives,  and  distinguished  accurately 

M618649 


iv  PREFACE. 

between  what  was  or  was  not  pre-Columbian.  In  fact, 
I  came  in  time  to  the  opinion  that  the  original  stock 
of  all  the  Algonquin  myths,  and  perhaps  of  many 
more,  still  existed,  not  far  away  in  the  West,  but  at 
our  very  doors  ;  that  is  to  say,  in  Maine  and  New 
Brunswick.  It  is  at  least  certain,  as  the  reader  may 
convince  himself,  that  these  Wabanaki,  or  North 
eastern  Algonquin,  legends  give,  with  few  exceptions, 
in  full  and  coherently,  many  tales  which  have  only 
reached  us  in  a  broken,  imperfect  form,  from  other 
sources.  . 

This  work,  then,  contains  a  collection  of  the  myths, 
legends,  and  folk-lore  of  the  principal  Wabanaki,  or 
Northeastern  Algonquin,  Indians;  that  is  to  say,  of 
the  Passamaquoddies  and  Penobscots  of  Maine,  and 
of  the  Micmacs  of  New  Brunswick.  All  of  this  mate 
rial  was  gathered  directly  from  Indian  narrators,  the 
greater  part  by  myself,  the  rest  by  a  few  friends ;  in 
fact,  I  can  give  the  name  of  the  aboriginal  authority 
for  every  tale  except  one.  As  my  chief  object  has 
been  simply  to  collect  and  preserve  valuable  material, 
I  have  said  little  of  the  labors  of  such  critical  writers 
as  Brinton,  Hale,  Trumbull,  Powers,  Morgan,  Ban 
croft,  and  the  many  more  who  have  so  ably  studied 
and  set  forth  red  Indian  ethnology.  If  I  have  rarely 
ventured  on  their  field,  it  is  because  I  believe  that 
when  the  Indian  shall  have  passed  away  there  will 
come  far  better  ethnologists  than  I  am,  who  will  be 
much  more  obliged  to  me  for  collecting  raw  material 
than  for  cooking  it. 


PREFACE.  V 

Two  or  three  subjects  have,  it  is  true,  tempted  me 
into  occasional  commenting.  The  manifest,  I  may  say 
the  undeniable,  affinity  between  the  myths  and  legends 
of  the  Northeastern  Indians  and  those  of  the  Eskimo 
could  hardly  be  passed  over,  nor  at  the  same  time 
the  identity  of  the  latter  and  of  the  Shaman  religion 
with  those  of  the  Finns,  Laplanders,  and  Samoyedes. 
I  believe  that  I  have  contributed  material  not  devoid 
of  value  to  those  who  are  interested  in  the  study  of 
the  relations  of  the  aborigines  of  America  with  the 
Mongoloid  races  of  the  Old  World.  This  is  a  subject 
which  has  been  very  little  studied  through  the  rela 
tions  of  these  Wabanaki  with  the  Eskimo. 

A  far  more  hazardous  venture  has  been  the  indicat 
ing  points  of  similarity  between  the  myths  or  tales  of 
the  Algonquins  and  those  of  the  Norsemen,  as  set 
forth  in  the  Eddas,  the  Sagas,  and  popular  tales  of 
Scandinavia.  When  we,  however,  remember  that  the 
Eskimo  once  ranged  as  far  south  as  Massachusetts, 
that  they  did  not  reach  Greenland  till  the  fourteenth 
century,  that  they  had  for  three  centuries  intimate 
relations  with  Scandinavians,  that  they  were  very 
fond  of  legends,  and  that  the  Wabanaki  even  now 
mingle  with  them,  the  marvel  would  be  that  the 
Norsemen  had  not  left  amons:  them  traces  of  their 

O 

tales  or  of  their  religion.  But  I  do  not  say  that  this 
was  positively  the  case ;  I  simply  set  forth  in  this 
book  a  great  number  of  curious  coincidences,  from 
which  others  may  draw  their  own  conclusions.  I 
confess  that  I  cannot  account  for  these  resemblances 


vi  PREFACE. 

save  by  the  so-called  "historical  theory"  of  direct 
transmission;  but  if  any  one  can  otherwise  explain 
them  I  should  welcome  the  solution  of  what  still  seems 
to  be,  in  many  respects,  a  problem. 

I  am,  in  fact,  of  the  opinion  that  what  is  given 
in  this  work  confirms  what  was  conjectured  by  David 
Crantz,  and  which  is  thus  expressed  in  his  History 
of  Greenland  (London,  1767)  :  "  If  we  read  the  ac 
counts  which  have  been  given  of  the  most  northerly 
American  Indians  and  Asiatic  Tartars,  we  find  a 
pretty  great  resemblance  between  their  manner  of 
life,  morals,  usages,  and  notions  and  what  has  been 
said  in  this  book  of  the  Greenlanders,  only  with  this 
difference :  that  the  farther  the  savage  nations  wan 
dered  towards  the  North,  the  fewer  they  retained 
of  their  ancient  conceptions  and  customs.  As  for  the 
Greenlanders,  if  it  be  true,  as  is  supposed,  that  a 
remnant  of  the  old  Norway  Christians  incorporated 
themselves  and  became  one  people  with  them,  the 
Greenlanders  may  thence  have  heard  and  adopted 
some  of  their  notions,  which  they  may  have  new- 
modeled  in  the  coarse  mould  of  their  own  brain." 

Among  those  who  have  greatly  aided  me  in  pre 
paring  this  work  I  deem  it  to  be  a  duty  to  mention 
Miss  ABBY  ALGER,  of  Boston,  to  whom  it  is  cordially 
dedicated;  the  REV.  SILAS  T.  RAND,  of  Hantsport, 
Nova  Scotia,  who  lent  me  a  manuscript  collection  of 
eighty-five  Micmac  tales,  and  communicated  to  me, 
with  zealous  kindness,  much  information  by  letter; 
and  MRS.  W.  WALLACE  BROWN,  of  Calais,  Maine.  It 


PREFACE.  vii 

was  through  this  lady  that  I  derived  a  great  proportion 
of  the  most  curious  folk-lore  of  the  Passamaquoddies, 
especially  such  parts  as  coincided  with  the  Edda. 
With  these  I  would  include  MR.  E.  JACK,  of  Freder- 
icton,  New  Brunswick.  When  it  is  remembered  that 
there  are  only  forty-two  of  the  Hiawatha  Legends  of 
Schoolcraft,  out  of  which  five  books  have  been  made 
by  other  authors,  and  that  I  have  collected  more 
than  two  hundred,  it  will  be  seen  how  these  friends 
must  have  worked  to  aid  me. 


AUTHORITIES. 


THE  authorities  consulted  in  writing  this  work  were  as  fol 
lows  :  — 

PERSONS. 

Tomah  Josephs,  Passamaquoddy,  Indian  Governor  at  Peter 
Dana's  Point,  Maine. 

The  Rev.  Silas  T.  Rand,  Baptist  Missionary  among  the  Mic- 
mac  Indians  at  Hantsport,  Nova  Scotia.  This  gentleman  lent 
me  his  manuscript  collection  of  eighty-five  stories,  all  taken 
down  from  verbal  Indian  narration.  He  also  communicated 
much  information  in  letters,  etc. 

John  Gabriel,  and  his  son  Peter  J.  Gabriel,  Passarnaquoddy  In 
dians,  of  Point  Pleasant,  Maine. 

Noel  Josephs,  of  Peter  Dana's  Point,  alias  Che  gach  goch,  the 
Raven. 

Joseph  Tomah,  Passamaquoddy,  of  Point  Pleasant. 

Louis  Mitchell,  Indian  member  of  the  Legislature  of  Maine. 
To  this  gentleman  I  am  greatly  indebted  for  manuscripts,  letters, 
and  oral  narrations  of  great  value. 

Sapiel  Selmo,  keeper  of  the  Wampum  Record,  formerly  read 
every  four  years  at  the  kindling  of  the  great  fire  at  Canawagha. 

Marie  Saksis,  of  Oldtown,  a  capital  and  very  accurate  narrator 
of  many  traditions. 

Miss  Abby  Alger,  of  Boston,  by  whom  I  was  greatly  aided  in 
collecting  the  Passamaquoddy  stories,  and  who  obtained  several 
for  me  among  the  St.  Francis  or  Abenaki  Indians. 

Edward  Jack,  of  Fredericton,  for  several  Micmac  legends 
and  many  letters  containing  folk-lore,  all  taken  down  by  him 
directly  from  Indians. 

Mrs.  W.  Wallace  Brown.     Mr.  Brown  was  agent  in  charge  of 


x  A  UTHORITIES. 

the  Passamaquoddies  in  Maine.     To  this  lady,  who  has  a  great 
influence  over  the  Indians,  and  is  much  interested  in  their  folk 
lore  and  legends,  I  am  indebted  for  a  large  collection  of  very  in 
teresting  material  of  the  most  varied  description. 
Noel  Neptune,  Penobscot,  Oldtown,  Maine. 

BOOKS,   MANUSCRIPTS,    ETC. 

The  Story  of  Glooskap.  A  curious  manuscript  in  Indian-Eng 
lish,  obtained  for  me  by  Tomah  Josephs. 

The  Dominion  Monthly  for  1871.  Containing  nine  Micmac  le 
gends  by  Rev.  S.  T.  Rand. 

Indian  Legends.  (Manuscript  of  900  pp.  folio.)  Collected 
among  the  Micmac  Indians,  and  translated  by  Silas  T.  Rand, 
Missionary  to  the  Micmacs. 

A  Manuscript  Collection  of  Passamaquoddy  Legends  and  Folk- 
Lore.  By  Mrs.  W.  Wallace  Brown,  of  Calais,  Maine.  These  are 
all  given  with  the  greatest  accuracy  as  narrated  by  Indians,  some 
in  broken  Indian-English.  They  embrace  a  very  great  variety  of 
folk-lore. 

Manuscript  Fairy  Tales  in  Indian  and  English.  By  Louis 
Mitchell. 

Manuscript :  The  Superstitions  of  the  Passamaquoddies.  In 
Indian  and  English. 

A  History  of  the  Passamaquoddy  Indians.  Manuscript  of  80 
pages,  Indian  and  English.  All  of  these  were  written  for  me 
by  L.  Mitchell,  M.  L. 

Wampum  Records.  Read  for  me  by  Sapiel  Selmo,  the  only  liv 
ing  Indian  who  has  the  key  to  them. 

David  Cusick's  Sketches  of  Ancient  History  of  the  Six  Nations. 
Lockport,  N.  Y.,  1848.  Printed,  but  written  in  Indian-English. 

Manuscript:  Six  Stories  of  the  St.  Francis  or  Abenaki  Indians. 
Taken  down  by  Miss  Abby  Alger. 

Osgood's  Maritime  Provinces.  In  this  work  there  are  seven 
short  extracts  relative  to  Glooskap  given  without  reference  to  any 
book  or  author. 


CONTENTS, 


PAGE 

INTRODUCTION 1 

GLOOSKAP,  THE  DIVINITY. 

Of  Glooskap's  Birth,  and  of  his  Brother  Malsum,  the 
Wolf 15 

How  Glooskap  made  the  Elves  and  Fairies,  and  then  Man 
of  an  Ash-Tree,  and  last  of  all  the  Beasts,  and  of  his 
Coming  at  the  Last  Day 18 

Of  the  Great  Deeds  which  Glooskap  did  for  Men;  how 
he  named  the  Animals,  and  who  they  were  that  formed 
his  Family 28 

How  Win-pe,  the  Sorcerer,  having  stolen  Glooskap's  Fam 
ily,  was  by  him  pursued.  How  Glooskap  for  a  Merry 
Jest  cheated  the  Whale.  Of  the  Song  of  the  Clams, 
and  how  the  Whale  smoked  a  Pipe  .  .  .  .31 

Of  the  Dreadful  Deeds  of  the  Evil  Pitcher,  who  was  both 
Man  and  Woman  ;  how  she  fell  in  Love  with  Glooskap, 
and,  being  scorned,  became  his  Enemy.  Of  the  Toads 
and  Porcupines,  and  the  Awful  Battle  of  the  Giants  .  36 

How  the  Story  of  Glooskap  and  Pook-jin-skwess,  the  Evil 
Pitcher,  is  told  by  the  Passamaquoddy  Indians  .  .  44 

How  Glooskap  became  friendly  to  the  Loons,  and  made 
them  his  Messengers 50 

How  Glooskap  made  his  Uncle  Mikchich,  the  Turtle,  into 
a  Great  Man,  and  got  him  a  Wife.  Of  the  Turtles' 
Eggs,  and  how  Glooskap  vanquished  a  Sorcerer  by 
smoking  Tobacco  .  .  .  ;  .  .  .  .51 


xii  CONTENTS. 

How  Glooskap  sailed  through  the  Great  Cavern  of  Dark 
ness  .  .  .  .  . 

Of  the  Great  Works  which  Glooskap  made  in  the  Land    . 

The  Story  of  Glooskap  as  told  in  a  few  Words  by  a  Woman 
of  the  Penobscots  ....... 

How  Glooskap,  leaving  the  World,  all  the  Animals 
mourned  for  him,  and  how,  ere  he  departed,  he  gave 
Gifts  to  Men  .  . 

How  Glooskap  had  a  Great  Frolic  with  Kitpooseagunow, 
a  Mighty  Giant  who  caught  a  Whale  .... 

How  Glooskap  made  a  Magician  of  a  Young  Man,  who 
aided  another  to  win  a  Wife  and  do  Wonderful  Deeds  . 

How  a  certain  Wicked  Witch  sought  to  cajole  the  Great 
and  Good  Glooskap,  and  of  her  Punishment 

Of  other  Men  who  went  to  Glooskap  for  Gifts 

Of  Glooskap  and  the  three  other  Seekers         .         . 

Of  Glooskap  and  the  Sinful  Serpent          .... 

The  Tale  of  Glooskap  as  told  by  another  Indian,  showing 
how  the  Toad  and  Porcupine  lost  their  Noses  .  .  106 

How  Glooskap  changed  Certain  Saucy  Indians  into  Rattle 
snakes  ..........  110 

How  Glooskap  bound  Wuchowsen,  the  Great  Wind-Bird, 
and  made  all  the  Waters  in  the  World  stagnant  .  .111 

How  Glooskap  conquered  the  Great  Bull-Frog,  and  in 
what  Manner  all  the  Pollywogs,  Crabs,  Leeches,  and 
other  Water  Creatures  were  created  ....  114 

How  the  Lord  of  Men  and  Beasts  strove  with  the  Mighty 
Wasis,  and  was  shamefully  defeated  ....  120 

How  the  Great  Glooskap  fought  the  Giant  Sorcerers  at 
Saco,  and  turned  them  into  Fish  .....  122 

How  Glooskap  went  to  England  and  France,  and  was  the 
first  to  make  America  known  to  the  Europeans  .  .  127 

How  Glooskap  is  making  Arrows,  and  preparing  for  a 
Great  Battle.  The  Twilight  of  the  Indian  Gods  .  .  130 

How  Glooskap  found  the  Summer 131 


CONTENTS.  xm 

THE  MERRY  TALES  OF  Lox,  THE  MISCHIEF-MAKER. 

The  Surprising  and  Singular  Adventures  of  two  Water 
Fairies  who  were  also  Weasels,  and  how  they  each  be 
came  the  Bride  of  a  Star.  Including  the  Mysterious 
and  Wonderful  Works  of  Lox,  the  Great  Indian  Devil, 
who  rose  from  the  Dead  .  .  .  .  .  .  140 

Of  the  Wolverine  and  the  Wolves,  or  how  Master  Lox 
froze  to  Death 170 

How  Master  Lox  played  a  Trick  on  Mrs.  Bear,  who  lost 
her  Eyesight  and  had  her  Eyes  opened  ....  174 

How  Lox  came  to  Grief  by  trying  to  catch  a  Salmon        .  179 

How  Master  Lox,  as  a  Raccoon,  killed  the  Bear  and  the 
Black  Cats,  and  performed  other  Notable  Feats  of  Skill, 
all  to  his  Great  Discredit 180 

How  Lox  deceived  the  Ducks,  cheated  the  Chief,  and  be 
guiled  the  Bear 186 

The  Mischief-Maker.  A  Tradition  of  the  Origin  of  the 
Mythology  of  the  Senecas.  A  Lox  Legend  .  .  194 

How  Lox  told  a  Lie .  206 

THE  AMAZING  ADVENTURES  OF  MASTER  RABBIT. 

How  Master  Rabbit  sought  to  rival  Keeoony,  the  Otter       208 

How  Mahtigwess,  the  Rabbit,  dined  with  the  Woodpecker 
Girls,    and   was    again    humbled    by   trying    to   rival 
them      .         .  .         .         .         .         .         .         .  210 

Of  the  Adventure  with  Mooin,  the  Bear ;  it  being  the  Third 
and  Last  Time  that  Master  Rabbit  made  a  Fool  of 
himself  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  212 

Relating  how  the  Rabbit  became  Wise  by  being  Original, 
and  of  the  Terrible  Tricks  which  he  by  Magic  played 
Loup-Cervier,  the  Wicked  Wild-Cat  ....  213 

How  Master  Rabbit  went  to  a  Wedding  and  won  the 
Bride .  .  .223 

How  Master  Rabbit  gave  himself  Airs      .        .         .         .  225 

The  Young  Man  who  was  saved  by  a  Rabbit  and  a  Fox    .  227 


xiv  CONTENTS. 

THE  CHENOO  LEGENDS. 

The  Chenoo,  or  the  Story  of  a  Ca,nnibal  with  an  Icy  Heart  233 
The  Story  of  the  Great  Chenoo,  as  told  by  the  Passama- 

quoddies 246 

The  Girl-Chenoo       .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .251 

THUNDER  STORIES. 

Of  the  Girl  who  married  Mount  Katahdin,  and  how  all 

the  Indians  brought  about  their  own  Ruin     .         .         .  255 
How  a  Hunter  visited  the  Thunder  Spirits  who  dwell  on 
Mount  Katahdin    .  ......  259 

The  Thunder  and  Lightning  Men 263 

Of  the  Woman  who  married  the  Thunder,  and  of  their 

Boy 266 

AT-O-SIS,  THE  SERPENT. 

How  Two  Girls  were  changed  to  Water-Snakes,  and  of 
Two  others  that  became  Mermaids         .         .         .         .  268 

Ne  Hwas,  the  Mermaid     .         .         .         .         .         .         .270 

Of  the  Woman  who  loved  a  Serpent  that  lived  in  a  Lake  .  273 
The  Mother  of  Serpents   .         .         .         .         .         ,         .275 

Origin  of  the  Black  Snakes 278 

THE  PARTRIDGE. 

The  Adventures  of  the  Great  Hero  Pulowech,  or  the  Par 
tridge  * 281 

The  Story  of  a  Partridge  and  his  Wonderful  Wigwam     .  290 
How  the  Partridge  built  Good  Canoes  for  all  the  Birds, 

and  a  Bad  One  for  Himself  .         .  .         .         .  293 

The  Mournful  Mystery  of  the  Partridge- Witch  ;  setting 

forth  how  a  Young  Man  died  from  Love        .         .         .  295 
How  one  of  the  Partridge's  Wives  became  a  Sheldrake 
Duck,  and  why  her  Feet  and  Feathers  are  red       .         .  300 

THE  INVISIBLE  ONE 303 

STORY  OF  THE  THREE  STRONG  MEN    .....        .        .  311 

THE  WEEWILLMEKQ'. 

How  a  Woman  lost  a  Gun  for  Fear  of  the  Weewillmekq' .  324 


CONTENTS.  xv 

Muggahmaht'adem,  the  Dance  of  Old  Age,  or  the  Magic 

of  the  Weewillmekq' 327 

Another  Version  of  the  Dance  of  Old  Age       .         .         .330 
TALES  OF  MAGIC. 

M'tdouliu,  or  Indian  Magic       .         .         .  .         .  334 

Story  of  the  Beaver  Trapper    ......  342 

How  a  Youth  became  a  Magician      .....  343 

Of  Old  Joe,  the  M'teoulin 345 

Of  Governor  Francis 345 

How  a  Chief's  Son  taught  his  Friend  Sorcery  .         .         .  352 
Tumilkoontaoo,  or  the  Broken  Wing        ....  359 

Fish-Hawk  and  Scapegrace 363 

The  Giant  Magicians 368 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTKATIONS. 

5?  AGE 
MlK    UM   WESS,   THE    INDIAN  PUCK,   OR  ROBIN   GOOD-FEL- 

LOW Frontispiece. 

GLOOSKAP  KILLING  HIS  BROTHER,  THE  WOLF 17 

GLOOSKAP  LOOKING  AT  THE  WHALE  SMOKING  HIS  PIPE  .  35 
GLOOSKAP  SETTING  HIS  DOGS  ON  THE  WITCHES  ....  40 
THE  MUD-TURTLE  JUMPING  OVER  THE  WIGWAM  OF  HIS 

FATHER-IN-LAW 54 

GLOOSKAP  AND  KEANKE  SPEARING  THE  WHALE  ...  75 
GLOOSKAP  TURNING  A  MAN  INTO  A  CEDAR-TREE  ...  98 

LOX  CARRIED  OFF  BY  CULLOO 157 

THE  INDIAN  BOY  AND  THE  MUSK-RAT.  SEEPS,  THE  DUCK  192 

THE  RABBIT  MAGICIAN 214 

THE  CHENOO  AND  THE  LIZARD 237 

THE  WOMAN  AND  THE  SERPENT 274 


INTRODUCTION. 


AMONG  the  six  chief  divisions  of  the  red  Indians 
of  North  America  the  most  widely  extended  is  the  Al 
gonquin.  This  people  ranged  from  Labrador  to  the 
far  South,  from  Newfoundland  to  the  Rocky  Moun 
tains,  speaking  forty  dialects,  as  the  Hon.  J.  H. 
Trumbull  has  shown  in  his  valuable  work  on  the  sub 
ject.  Belonging  to  this  division  are  the  Micmacs  of 
Nova  Scotia  and  the  Passamaquoddy  and  Penobscot 
tribes  of  Maine,  who  with  the  St.  Francis  Indians 
of  Canada  and  some  smaller  clans  call  themselves  the 
Wabanaki,  a  word  derived  from  a  root  signifying 
white  or  light,  intimating  that  they  live  nearest  to  the 
rising  sun  or  the  east.  In  fact,  the  French-speaking 
St.  Francis  family,  who  are  known  par  eminence  as 
u  the  Abenaki,"  translate  the  term  by  point  dujour. 

The  Wabanaki  have  in  common  the  traditions  of 
a  grand  mythology,  the  central  figure  of  which  is  a 
demigod  or  hero,  who,  while  he  is  always  great,  con 
sistent,  and  benevolent,  and  never  devoid  of  dignity, 
presents  traits  which  are  very  much  more  like  those  of 
Odin  and  Thor,  with  not  a  little  of  Pantagruel,  than 
anything  in  the  characters  of  the  Chippewa  Mano- 
bozho,  or  the  Iroquois  Hiawatha.  The  name  of  this 


\ 


2  INTRODUCTION. 

divinity  is  Glooskap,  meaning,  strangely  enough,  the 
Liar,  because  it  is  said  that  when  he  left  earth,  like 
King  Arthur,  for  Fairyland,  he  promised  to  return, 
and  has  never  done  so.  It  is  characteristic  of  the 
Norse  gods  that  while  they  are  grand  they  are  manly, 
and  combine  with  this  a  peculiarly  domestic  humanity. 
Glooskap  is  the  Norse  god  intensified.  He  is,  how 
ever,  more  of  a  giant ;  he  grows  to  a  more  appalling 
greatness  than  Thor  or  Odin  in  his  battles ;  when  a 
Kiawaqii\  or  Jotun,  rises  to  the  clouds  to  oppose 
him,  Glooskap's  head  touches  the  stars,  and  scorning 
to  slay  so  mean  a  foe  like  an  equal,  he  kills  him  con 
temptuously  with  a  light  tap  of  his  bow.  But  in  the 
family  circle  he  is  the  most  benevolent  of  gentle 
heroes,  and  has  his  oft-repeated  little  standard  jokes. 
Yet  he  never,  like  the  Manobozho-Hiawatha  of  the 
Chippewas,  becomes  silly,  cruel,  or  fantastic.  He  has 
his  roaring  revel  with  a  brother  giant,  even  as  Thor 
went  fishing  in  fierce  fun  with  the  frost  god,  but  he  is 
never  low  or  feeble. 

Around  Glooskap,  who  is  by  far  the  grandest  and 
most  Aryan-like  character  ever  evolved  from  a  sav 
age  mind,  and  who  is  more  congenial  to  a  reader 
of  Shakespeare  and  Rabelais  than  any  deity  ever 
imagined  out  of  Europe,  there  are  found  strange 
giants  :  some  literal  Jotuns  of  stone  and  ice,  sorcerers 
who  become  giants  like  Glooskap,  at  will ;  the  terrible 
Chenoo,  a  human  being  with  an  icy-stone  heart,  who 
has  sunk  to  a  cannibal  and  ghoul ;  all  the  weird  mon 
sters  and  horrors  of  the  Eskimo  mythology,  witches 


INTRODUCTION.  3 

and  demons,  inherited  from  the  terribly  black  sorcery 
which  preceded  Shamanism,  and  compared  to  which 
the  latter  was  like  an  advanced  religion,  and  all  the 
minor  mythology  of  dwarfs  and  fairies.  The  Indian 
m'teouUn,  or  magician,  distinctly  taught  that  every 
created  thing,  animate  or  inanimate,  had  its  indwelling 
spirit.  Whatever  had  an  idea  had  a  soul.  Therefore 
the  Wabanaki  mythology  is  strangely  like  that  of  the 
Rosicrueians.  But  it  created  spirits  for  the  terrible 
Arctic  winters  of  the  north,  for  the  icebergs  and  frozen 
wastes,  for  the  Northern  Lights  and  polar  bears.  It 
made,  in  short,  a  mythology  such  as  would  be  perfectly 
congenial  to  any  one  who  has  read  and  understood  the 
Edda,  Beowulf,  and  the  Kalevala,  with  the  wildest 
and  oldest  Norse  sagas.  But  it  is,  as  regards  spirit 
and  meaning,  utterly  and  entirely  unlike  anything  else 
that  is  American.  It  is  not  like  the  Mexican  pan 
theon  ;  it  has  not  the  same  sounds,  colors,  or  feelings ; 
and  though  many  of  its  incidents  or  tales  are  the 
same  as  those  of  the  Chippewas,  or  other  tribes,  we 
still  feel  that  there  is  an  incredible  difference  in  the 
spirit.  Its  ways  are  not  as  their  ways.  This  Waba 
naki  mythology,  which  was  that  which  gave  a  fairy,  an 
elf,  a  naiad,  or  a  hero  to  every  rock  and  river  and 
ancient  hill  in  New  England,  is  just  the  one  of  all 
others  which  is  least  known  to  the  New  Englanders. 
When  the  last  Indian  shall  be  in  his  grave,  those  who 
come  after  us  will  ask  in  wonder  why  we  had  no 
curiosity  as  to  the  romance  of  our  country,  and  so 
much  as  to  that  of  every  other  land  on  earth. 


4  INTRODUCTION. 

Much  is  allowed  to  poets  and  painters,  and  no  fault 
was  found  with  Mr.  Longfellow  for  attributing  to  the 
Iroquois  Hiawatha  the  choice  exploits  of  the  Chip- 
pewa  demi-devil  Manobozho.  It  was  "  all  Indian  "  to 
the  multitude,  and  one  name  answered  as  well  in 
poetry  as  another,  at  a  time  when  there  was  very  little 
attention  paid  to  ethnology.  So  that  a  good  poem 
resulted,  it  was  of  little  consequence  that  the  plot  was 
a  melange  of  very  different  characters,  and  character 
istics.  And  when,  in  connection  with  this,  Mr.  Long 
fellow  spoke  of  the  Chippewa  tales  as  forming  an 
Indian  Edda,  the  term  was  doubtless  in  a  poetic  and 
very  general  sense  permissible.  But  its  want  of  literal 
truth  seems  to  have  deeply  impressed  the  not  generally 
over  particular  or  accurate  Schoolcraft,  since  his  first 
remarks  in  the  Introduction  to  the  Hiawatha  Legends 
are  as  follows  :  — 

"  Where  analogies  are  so  general,  there  is  a  constant 
liability  to  mistakes.  Of  these  foreign  analogies  of 
myth-lore,  the  least  tangible,  it  is  believed,  is  that  which 
has  been  suggested  with  the  Scandinavian  mythology. 
That  mythology  is  of  so  marked  and  peculiar  a  char 
acter  that  it  has  not  been  distinctly  traced  out  of  the 
great  circle  of  tribes  of  the  Indo-Germanic  family. 
Odin  and  his  terrific  pantheon  of  war  gods  and  social 
deities  could  only  exist  in  the  dreary  latitudes  of 
storms  and  fire  which  produce  a  Hecla  and  a  Mael 
strom.  These  latitudes  have  invariably  produced  na 
tions  whose  influence  has  been  felt  in  an  elevating 
power  over  the  world.  From  such  a  source  the  Indian 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

could  have  derived  none  of  his  vague  symbolisms  and 
mental  idiosyncrasies  which  have  left  him  as  he  is  found 
to-day,  without  a  government  and  without  a  god." 

This  is  all  perfectly  true  of  the  myths  of  Hiawat'ha- 
Manobozho.  Nothing  on  earth  could  be  more  unlike 
the  Norse  legends  than  the  "  Indian  Edda "  of  the 
Chippewas  and  Ottawas.  But  it  was  not  known  to 
this  writer  that  there  already  existed  in  Northeast 
ern  America  a  stupendous  mythology,  derived  from 
a  land  of  storms  and  fire  more  terrible  and  wonderful 
than  Iceland ;  nay,  so  terrible  that  Icelanders  them 
selves  were  appalled  by  it.  "  This  country,'7  says  the 
Abb£  Morillot,  "is  the  one  most  suggestive  of  su 
perstition.  Everything  there,  sea,  earth,  or  heaven,  is 
strange."  The  wild  cries  which  rise  from  the  depths  of 
the  caverned  ice-hills,  and  are  reechoed  by  the  rocks, 
icebergs,  or  waves,  were  dreadful  to  Egbert  Olaf- 
son  in  the  seventeenth  century.  The  interior  is  a  des 
ert  without  parallel  for  desolation.  A  frozen  Sahara 
seen  by  Northern  lightning  and  midnight  suns  is  but  a 
suggestion  of  this  land.  The  sober  Moravian  mission 
ary  Crantz  once  only  in  his  life  rose  to  poetry,  when 
more  than  a  century  ago  he  spoke  of  its  scenery.  Here 
then  was  the  latitude  of  storm  and  fire  required  by 
Schoolcraft  to  produce  something  wilder  and  grander 
than  he  had  ever  found  among  Indians.  And  here 
indeed  there  existed  all  the  time  a  cycle  of  mytho 
logical  legends  or  poems  such  as  he  declared  Indians 
incapable  of  producing.  But  strangest  of  all,  this 
American  mythology  of  the  North,  which  has  been  the 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

very  last  to  become  known  to  American  readers,  is 
literally  so  nearly  like  the  Edda  itself  that,  as  this 
work  fully  proves,  there  is  hardly  a  song  in  the  Norse 
collection  which  does  not  contain  an  incident  found  in 
the  Indian  poem-legends,  while  in  several  there  are 
many  such  coincidences.  Thus,  in  the  Edda  we  are 
told  that  the  first  birth  on  earth  was  that  of  a  giant 
girl  and  boy,  begotten  by  the  feet  of  a  giant  and  born 
from  his  arrnpit.  In  the  Wabanaki  legends,  the  first 
birth  was  of  Glooskap,  the  Good  principle,  and  Malsum 
the  Wolf,  or  Evil  principle.  The  Wolf  was  born  from 
his  mother's  armpit.  He  is  sometimes  male  and  some 
times  female.  His  feet  are  male  and  female,  and  con 
verse.  We  pass  on  only  twelve  lines  in  the  Edda 
(Vafthrudnismal,  36)  to  be  told  that  the  wind  is 
caused  by  a  giant  in  eagle's  plumage,  who  sits  on  a 
rock  far  in  the  north  "  at  the  end  of  heaven."  This  is 
simply  and  literally  the  Wochowsen  or  Windblower 
of  the  Wabanaki  word  for  word,  —  not  the  "  Thunder- 
Bird  "  of  the  Western  Indians.  The  second  birth  on 
earth,  according  to  the  Edda,  was  that  of  man.  Odin 
found  Ash  and  Elm  "  nearly  powerless,"  and  gave 
them  sense.  This  was  the  first  man  and  woman.  Ac 
cording  to  the  Indians  of  Maine,  Glooskap  made  the 
first  men  from  the  ash-tree.  They  lived  or  were  in 
it,  "  devoid  of  sense  "  till  he  gave  it  to  them.  It  is 
to  be  observed  that  primevally  among  the  Norse  the 
ash  alone  stood  for  man.  So  it  goes  on  through  the 
whole  Edda,  of  which  all  the  main  incidents  are  to  be 
found  among  the  sagas  of  the  Wabanaki.  The  most 


INTRODUCTION.  1 

striking  of  these  are  the  coincidences  between  Lox 
(lynx,  wolf,  wolverine,  badger,  or  raccoon,  and  some 
times  man)  and  Loki.  It  is  very  remarkable  indeed 
that  the  only  two  religions  in  the  world  which  possess 
a  devil  in  whom  mischief  predominates  should  also 
give  to  each  the  same  adventures,  if  both  did  not 
come  from  the  same  source.  In  the  Hymiskvida  of  the 
Edda,  two  giants  go  to  fish  for  whales,  and  then  have 
a  contest  which  is  actually  one  of  heat  against  cold. 
This  is  so  like  a  Micmac  legend  in  every  detail  that 
about  twenty  lines  are  word  for  word  the  same  in  the 
Norse  and  Indian.  The  Micmac  giants  end  their 
whale  fishing  by  trying  to  freeze  one  another  to  death. 
It  is  to  the  Kev.  Silas  T.  Eand  that  the  credit  be 
longs  of  having  discovered  Glooskap,  and  of  having 
first  published  in  the  Dominion  Monthly  several  of 
these  Northern  legends.  After  I  had  collected  nearly 
a  hundred  among  the  Passamaquoddy  and  Penobscot 
Indians,  this  gentleman,  with  unexampled  kindness, 
lent  me  a  manuscript  of  eighty-four  Micmac  tales, 
making  in  all  nine  hundred  folio  pages.  Many  were 
similar  to  others  in  my  collection,  but  I  have  never  yet 
received  a  duplicate  which  did  not  contain  something 
essential  to  the  whole.  Though  the  old  Indians  all 
declare  that  most  of  their  lore  has  perished,  especially 
tha  more  recondite  mythic  poems,  I  am  confident  that 
much  more  remains  to  be  gathered  than  I  have  given 
in  this  work.  As  it  is,  I  have  omitted  many  tales 
simply  because  they  were  evidently  Canadian  French 
stories.  Yet  all  of  these,  without  exception,  are  half 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

Indian,  and  it  may  be  old  Norse  modified;  for  a 
French  story  is  sometimes  the  same  with  one  in  the 
Eddas.  Again,  for  want  of  room  I  have  not  given  any 
Indian  tales  or  chronicles  of  the  wars  with  the  Mo 
hawks.  Of  these  I  have  enough  to  make  a  very  curi 
ous  volume. 

These  legends  belong  to  all  New  England.  Many 
of  them  exist  as  yet  among  the  scattered  fragments 
of  Indian  tribes  here  and  there.  The  Penobscots  of 
Oldtown,  Maine,  still  possess  many.  In  fact,  there  is 
not  an  old  Indian,  male  or  female,  in  New  England  or 
Canada  who  does  not  retain  stories  and  songs  of  the 
greatest  interest.  I  sincerely  trust  that  this  work  may 
have  the  effect  of  stimulating  collection.  Let  every 
reader  remember  that  everything  thus  taken  down, 
and  deposited  in  a  local  historical  society,  or  sent  to 
the  Ethnological  Bureau  at  Washington,  will  forever 
transmit  the  name  of  its  recorder  to  posterity.  Ar 
chaeology  is  as  yet  in  its  very  beginning  ;  when  the 
Indians  shall  have  departed  it  will  grow  to  giant-like 
proportions,  and  every  scrap  of  information  relative 
to  them  will  be  eagerly  investigated.  And  the  man 
does  not  live  who  knows  what  may  be  made  of  it  all. 
I  need  not  say  that  I  should  be  grateful  for  such  In 
dian  lore  of  any  kind  whatever  which  may  be  trans 
mitted  to  me. 

It  may  very  naturally  be  asked  by  many  how  it 
came  to  pass  that  the  Indians  of  Maine  and  of  the 
farther  north  have  so  much  of  the  Edda  in  their  sa 
gas  ;  or,  if  it  was  derived  through  the  Eskimo  tribes, 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

how  these  got  it  from  Norsemen,  who  were  professedly 
Christians.  I  do  not  think  that  the  time  has  come 
for  fully  answering  the  first  question.  There  is  some 
great  mystery  of  mythology,  as  yet  unsolved,  regard 
ing  the  origin  of  the  Edda  and  its  relations  with  the 
faiths  and  folk-lore  of  the  older  Shamanic  beliefs,  such 
as  Lapp,  Finn,  Samoyed,  Eskimo,  and  Tartar.  This 
was  the  world's  first  religion  ;  it  is  found  in  the 
so-called  Accadian  Turanian  beginning  of  Babylon, 
whence  it  possibly  came  from  the  West.  But  what 
we  have  here  to  consider  is  whether  the  Norsemen  did 
directly  influence  the  Eskimo  and  Indians.  Let  us 
first  consider  that  these  latter  were  passionately  fond 
of  stories,  and  that  they  had  attained  to  a  very  high 
standard  of  culture  as  regards  both  appreciation  and 
invention.  They  were  as  fond  of  recitations  as  any 
white  man  is  of  reading.  Their  memories  were  in  this 
respect  very  remarkable  indeed.  They  have  taken 
into  their  repertory  during  the  past  two  hundred  years 
many  French  fairy  tales,  through  the  Canadians.  Is 
it  not  likely  that  they  listened  to  the  Northmen  ? 

It  is  not  generally  noted  among  our  learned  men 
how  long  the  Icelanders  remained  in  Greenland,  how 
many  stories  are  still  told  of  them  by  the  Eskimo,  or 
to  what  extent  the  Indians  continue  to  mingle  with  the 
latter.  During  the  eleventh,  twelfth,  and  thirteenth 
centuries,  says  the  Abbe  MorilJot,  "there  were  in 
Greenland,  after  Archbishop  Adalbert,  more  than 
twenty  bishops,  and  in  the  colony  were  many  churches 
and  monasteries.  In  the  Oestrbugd,  one  of  the  two 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

inhabited  portions  of  the  vast  island,  were  one  hun 
dred  and  ninety  villages,  with  twelve  churches.  In 
Juliaiishaab,  one  may  to-day  see  the  ruins  of  eight 
churches  and  of  many  monasteries."  In  the  fifteenth 
century  all  these  buildings  were  in  ruins,  and  the  col 
ony  was  exterminated  by  the  pestilence  or  the  natives. 
But  among  the  latter  there  remained  many  traditions 
of  the  Scandinavians  associated  with  the  ruins.  Such 
is  the  story  of  Oren'gortok,  given  by  the  Abbe  Moril- 
lot,  and  several  are  to  be  found  in  Rink's  Legends. 
When  we  learn  that  the  Norsemen,  during  their  three 
centuries  of  occupation  of  Greenland,  brought  away 
many  of  the  marvelous  tales  of  the  Eskimo,  it  is  not 
credible  that  they  left  none  of  their  own.  Thus  we 
are  told  in  the  Floamanna  Saga  how  a  hero,  aban 
doned  on  the  icy  coast  of  Greenland,  met  with  two 
giant  witches  (Troldkoner),  and  cut  the  hand  from 
one  of  them.  An  old  Icelandic  work,  called  the  Ko- 
nungs  Skuggsjd  (Danish,  Kongespeilet),  has  much  to 
say  of  the  marvels  of  Greenland  and  its  monsters  of 
the  sea.  On  the  other  hand,  Morillot  declares  that 
the  belief  in  ghosts  was  brought  to  Greenland  by  the 
Icelanders  and  Scandinavians.  The  sagas  have  not 
been  as  yet  much  studied  with  a  view  to  establishing 
how  much  social  intercourse  there  was  between  the  na 
tives  and  the  colonists,  but  common  experience  would 
teach  that  during  three  centuries  it  must  have  been 
something. 

There  has  always  been  intercourse  between  Green 
land  and  Labrador,  and  in  this  latter  country  we  find 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

the  first  Algonquin  Indians.  Even  at  the  present  day 
there  are  men  among  the  Micmacs  and  Passamaquod- 
dies  who  have  gone  on  their  hunting  excursions  even 
to  the  Eskimo.  I  myself  know  one  of  the  latter  who 
has  done  so,  and  the  Rev.  S.  T.  Rand,  in  answer  to  a 
question  on  the  subject,  writes  to  me  as  follows  :  — 

"  Nancy  Jeddore,  a  Micmac  woman,  assures  me  that 
her  father,  now  dead,  used  to  go  as  far  as  the  wild 
(heathen)  Eskimo,  and  remained  once  for  three  years 
among  the  more  civilized.  She  has  so  correctly  de 
scribed  their  habits  that  I  am  satisfied  that  her  state 
ments  are  correct."  l 

These  Eskimo  brought  from  the  Old  World  that 
primeval  gloomy  Shaman  religion,  or  sorcery,  such 
as  is  practiced  yet  by  Laplanders  and  Tartars,  such 
as  formed  the  basis  of  the  old  Accadian  Babylo 
nian  cultus,  and  such  as  is  now  in  vogue  among  all 
our  own  red  Indians.  I  believe  that  it  was  from  the 
Eskimo  that  this  American  Shamanism  all  came.  In 
Greenland  this  faith  assumed  its  strangest  form ;  it 
made  for  itself  a  new  mythology.  The  Indians,  their 
neighbors,  borrowed  from  this,  but  also  added  new 
elements  of  an  only  semi-Arctic  character.  Thus  there 
is  a  series  of  steps,  but  every  one  different,  from  the 

1  The  word  Eskimo  is  Algonquin,  meaning  to  eat  raw  fish, 
Eskumoga  in  Micmac,  and  people  who  eat  raw  flesh,  or  Es- 
kimook,  that  is,  eski,  raw,  and  moo-uk,  people.  This  word  re 
calls  in-noo-uk,  people,  and  spirits,  in  Eskimo,  Innue,  which  has 
the  same  double  meaning.  This  was  all  suggested  to  me  by 
an  Indian. 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

Eskimo  to  the  Wabanaki,  of  Labrador,  New  Bruns 
wick,  and  Maine,  from  the  Wabanaki  to  the  Iroquois, 
and  from  the  Iroquois  to  the  more  western  Indians. 
And   while    they  all  have  incidents  in  common,  the 
character  of  each  is  radically  different. 

It  may  be  specially  noted  that  while  there  is  hardly 
an  important  point  in  the  Edda  which  may  not  be 
found,  as  I  have  just  shown,  in  Wabanaki  legends, 
there  is  very  little  else  in  the  latter  which  is  in  com 
mon  with  such  Old  World  mythology  as  might  have 
come  to  the  Indians  since  the  discovery  by  Columbus. 
Excluding  French  Canadian  fairy  tales,  what  we  have 
left  is  chiefly  Eskimo  and  Eddaic,  and  the  proportion 
of  the  latter  is  simply  surprising.  There  are  ac 
tually  more  incidents  taken  from  the  Edda  than  there 
are  from  lower  sources.  I  can  only  account  for  this 
by  the  fact  that,  as  the  Indians  tell  me,  all  these  tales 
were  once  poems,  handed  down  from  generation  to 
generation,  and  always  sung.  Once  they  were  re 
ligious.  Now  they  are  in  a  condition  analogous  to 
that  of  the  German  Heldenbuch.  They  have  been 
cast  into  a  new  form,  but  they  are  not  as  yet  quite 
degraded  to  the  nursery  tale. 

It  may  be  objected  that  if  the  Norsemen  in  Green 
land  were  Christians  it  is  most  unlikely  that  they 
would  have  taught  the  legends  of  the  Edda  to  the 
heathen ;  to  which  I  reply  that  some  scholar  a  few 
centuries  hence  may  declare  it  was  a  most  improbable 
thing  that  Christian  Roman  Catholic  Indians  should 
have  taught  me  the  tales  of  Glooskap  and  Lox.  But 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

the  truth  is,  we  really  know  very  little  as  to  how  soon 
wandering  Vikings  went  to  America,  or  how  many 
were  here. 

I  would  say  in  conclusion  that,  while  these  legends 
of  the  Wabanaki  are  fragmentary  and  incomplete, 
they  still  read  like  the  fragments  of  a  book  whose 
subject  was  once  broadly  and  coherently  treated  by  a 
man  of  genius.  They  are  handled  in  the  same  bold 
and  artistic  manner  as  the  Norse.  There  is  nothing- 
like  them  in  any  other  North  American  Indian  rec 
ords.  They  are,  especially  those  which  are  from  the 
Passamaquoddy  and  Penobscot,  inspired  with  a  genial 
cosmopolite  humor.  While  Glooskap  is  always  a  gen 
tleman,  Lox  ranges  from  Punch  to  Satan,  passing 
through  the  stages  of  an  Indian  Mephistopheles  and 
the  Norse  Loki,  who  appears  to  have  been  his  true 
progenitor.  But  neither  is  quite  like  anything  to  be 
found  among  really  savage  races.  When  it  is  borne 
in  mind  that  the  most  ancient  and  mythic  of  these 
legends  have  been  taken  down  from  the  trembling 
memories  of  old  squaws  who  never  understood  their 
inner  meaning,  or  from  ordinary  senaps  who  had  not 
thought  of  them  since  boyhood,  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  preservation  of  a  mass  of  prose  poems,  equal  in 
bulk  to  the  Kalevala  or  Heldenbuch,  is  indeed  almost 
miraculous. 


THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS   OF  NEW 
ENGLAND. 


GLOOSKAP  THE  DIVINITY. 

Of  Glooskap's  Birth,   and  of  his  Brother  Malsum   the 
Wolf. 

Now  the  great  lord  Glooskap,  who  was  worshiped 
in  after-days  by  all  the  Wabanaki,  or  children  of  light, 
was  a  twin  with  a  brother.  As  he  was  good,  this 
brother,  whose  name  was  Malsumsis,  or  Wolf  the 
younger,  was  bad.  Before  they  were  born,  the  babes 
consulted  to  consider  how  they  had  best  enter  the 
world.  And  Glooskap  said,  "  I  will  be  born  as  others 
are."  But  the  evil  Malsumsis  thought  himself  too 
great  to  be  brought  forth  in  such  a  manner,  and  de 
clared  that  he  would  burst  through  his  mother's  side.1 
And  as  they  planned  it  so  it  came  to  pass.  Glooskap 

1  The  reader  of  Rabelais  cannot  fail  to  recall  here  the  remarks 
of  the  author  as  to  the  extraordinary  manner  in  which  it  pleased 
the  giant  Gargantua  to  come  into  the  world.  The  Armenians 
believe  that  Christ  was  born  through  the  right  side  of  the  Virgin. 
The  Buddhists  say  the  same  of  Buddha's  birth.  (Heth  and  Moab, 
London,  1883.)  Another  and  as  I  believe  the  correct  account  de 
clares  that  Malsum  the  Wolf  was  born  from  his  mother's  armpit. 


16       THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

as  first  came  quietly  to  light,  while  Malsumsis  kept 
his  word,  killing  his  mother. 

The  two  grew  up  together,  and  one  day  the  younger, 
who  knew  that  both  had  charmed  lives,  asked  the 
elder  what  would  kill  him,  Glooskap.  Now  each  had 
his  own  secret  as  to  this,  and  Glooskap,  remembering 
how  wantonly  Malsumsis  had  slain  their  mother, 
thought  it  would  be  misplaced  confidence  to  trust  his 
life  to  one  so  fond  of  death,  while  it  might  prove 
to  be  well  to  know  the  bane  of  the  other.  So  they 
agreed  to  exchange  secrets,  and  Glooskap,  to  test  his 
brother,  told  him  that  the  only  way  in  which  he  him 
self  could  be  slain  was  by  the  stroke  of  an  owl's 
feather,1  though  this  was  not  true.  And  Malsumsis 
said,  "I  can  only  die  by  a  blow  from  a  fern-root." 

It  came  to  pass  in  after-days  that  Kwah-beet-a-sis, 
the  son  of  the  Great  Beaver,  or,  as  others  say,  Miko 
the  Squirrel,  or  else  the  evil  which  was  in  himself, 
tempted  Malsumsis  to  kill  Glooskap  ;  for  in  those  days 
all  men  were  wicked.  So  taking  his  bow  he  shot 
Ko  ko-khas  the  Owl,  and  with  one  of  his  feathers  he 
struck  Glooskap  while  sleeping.  Then  he  awoke  in 
anger,  yet  craftily  said  that  it  was  not  by  an  owl's 
feather,  but  by  a  blow  from  a  pine-root,  that  his  life 
would  end. 

1  There  are  different  readings  of  this  incident.  In  Mr.  Rand's 
manuscript  the  alleged  means  of  Glooskap's  death  is  described  as 
being  a  cat-tail  flag  Qiaw-kwee-usqu' ',  Passamaquoddy),  while  .a 
handful  of  bird's  down  is  the  bane  of  Malsum  the  Wolf.  The 
termination  sis  is  a  diminutive,  here  meaning  the  younger. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  17 

Then  the  false  man  led  his  brother  another  day  far 
into  the  forest  to  hunt,  and,  while  he  again  slept, 
smote  him  on  the  head  with  a  pine-root.  But  Gloos- 
kap  arose  unharmed,  drove  Malsumsis  away  into  the 
woods,  sat  down  by  the  brook-side,  and  thinking  over 
all  that  had  happened,  said,  "  Nothing  but  a  flowering 
rush  can  kill  me."  But  the  Beaver,  who  was  hidden 
among  the  reeds,  heard  this,  and  hastening  to  Mal 
sumsis  told  him  the  secret  of  his  brother's  life.  For 
this  Malsumsis  promised  to  bestow  on  Beaver  what 
ever  he  should  ask ;  but  when  the  latter  wished  for 
wings  like  a  pigeon,  the  warrior  laughed,  and  scorn 
fully  said,  "  Get  thee  hence ;  thou  with  a  tail  like  a 
file,  what  need  hast  thou  of  wings  ?  " 

Then  the  Beaver  was  angry,  and  went  forth  to  the 
camp  of  Glooskap,  to  whom  he  told  what  he  had  done. 
Therefore  Glooskap  arose  in  sorrow  and  in  anger, 
took  a  fern-root,  sought  Malsumsis  in  the  deep,  dark 
forest,  and  smote  him  so  that  he  fell  down  dead.  And 
Glooskap  sang  a  song  over  him  and  lamented. 

The  Beaver  and  the  Owl  and  the  Squirrel,  for  what 
they  did  and  as  they  did  it,  all  come  again  into 
these  stories  ;  but  Malsumsis,  being  dead,  was  turned 
into  the  Shick-shoe  mountains  in  the  Gaspe*  peninsula. 

For  this  chapter  and  parts  of  others  I  am  indebted 
to  the  narrative  of  a  Micmac  Indian,  taken  down  by 
Mr.  Edward  Jack  ;  also  to  another  version  in  the 
Rand  MS.  The  story  is,  in  the  main  points,  similar 
to  that  given  by  David  Cusick  in  his  History  of 


18  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

the  Six  Nations,  of  Enigorio  the  Good  Mind,  and 
Enigonhahetgea,  Bad  Mind,  to  which  I  shall  refer 
anon. 

It  is  very  evident  that  in  this  tradition  Glooskap 
represents  the  Good  principle,  and  Malsumsis,  the  lit 
tle  wolf,  —  that  is  the  Wolf  who  is  the  Younger,  rather 
than  little  or  small,  —  the  Evil  one.  Malsum  typifies 
destruction  and  sin  in  several  of  these  tales.  He  will 
arise  at  the  last  day,  when  Glooskap  is  to  do  battle 
with  all  the  giants  and  evil  beasts  of  olden  time,  and 
will  be  the  great  destroyer.  Malsum  is  the  Wolf 
Fenris  of  this  the  true  Indian  Edda. 

For  a  further  comment  on  this  birth  of  the  twins 
and  its  resemblance  to  a  passage  in  the  Edda,  the 
reader  is  referred  to  the  notes  on  the  next  chapter. 

How  Glooskap  made  the  Elves  and  Fairies,  and  then  Man 
of  an  Ash  Tree,  and  last  of  all,  Beasts,  and  of  his  Conn 
ing  at  the  Last  Day. 

(Passamaquoddy.) 

Glooskap  came  first  of  all  into  this  country,  into 
Nova  Scotia,  Maine,  Canada,  into  the  land  of  the 
Wabanaki,  next  to  sunrise.  There  were  no  Indians 
here  then  (only  wild  Indians  very  far  to  the  west). 

First  born  were  the  Mikumwess,  the  Oonahgemes- 
suk,  the  small  Elves,  little  men,  dwellers  in  rocks. 

And  in  this  way  he  made  Man :  He  took  his  bow 
and  arrows  and  shot  at  trees,  the  basket-trees,  the 
Ash.  Then  Indians  came  out  of  the  bark  of  the  Ash- 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  19 

trees.  And  then  the  Mikumwess  said  .  .  .  called 
tree-man.1  .  .  . 

Glooskap  made  all  the  animals.  He  made  them 
at  first  very  large.  Then  he  said  to  Moose,  the  great 
Moose  who  was  as  tall  as  Ketawkqu's,2  "  What  would 
you  do  should  you  see  an  Indian  coming  ?  "  Moose 
replied,  j'  I  would  tear  down  the  trees  on  him."  Then 
Glooskap  saw  that  the  Moose  was  too  strong,  and 
made  him  smaller,  so  that  Indians  could  kill  him. 

Then  he  said  to  the  Squirrel,  who  was  of  the  size 
of  a  Wolf,  "  What  would  you  do  if  you  should  meet 
an  Indian  ?  "  And  the  Squirrel  answered,  "  I  would 
scratch  down  trees  on  him."  Then  Glooskap  said, 
"  You  also  are  too  strong,"  and  he  made  him  little.3 

Then  he  asked  the  great  White  Bear  what  he 
would  do  if  he  met  an  Indian;  and  the  Bear  said, 
"  Eat  him."  And  the  Master  bade  him  go  and  live 
among  rocks  and  ice,  where  he  would  see  no  Indians. 

So  he  questioned  all  the  beasts,  changing  their  size 
or  allotting  their  lives  according  to  their  answers. 

He  took  the  Loon  for  his  dog  ;  but  the  Loon  ab 
sented  himself  so  much  that  he  chose  for  this  service 
two  wolves,  —  one  black  and  one  white.4  But  the 
Loons  are  always  his  tale-bearers. 

1  The  relater,  an  old  woman,  was  quite  unintelligible  at  this 
point. 

2  A  giant,  high  as  the  tallest  pines,  or  as  the  clouds. 

3  Another  account  states  that  Glooskap  took  the  Squirrel  in 
his  hands  and  smoothed  him  down. 

4  Dogs  are  used  for  beasts  of  burden,  to  draw  sledges,  in  the 
North. 


20  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Many  years  ago  a  man  very  far  to  the  North  wished 
to  cross  a  bay,  a  great  distance,  from  one  point  to 
another.  As  he  was  stepping  into  his  canoe  he  saw 
a  man  with  two  dogs,  —  one  black  and  one  white,  — 
who  asked  to  be  set  across.  The  Indian  said,  "  You 
may  go,  but  what  will  become  of  your  dogs  ?  "  Then 
the  stranger  replied,  "  Let  them  go  round  by  land." 
"  Nay,"  replied  the  Indian,  "  that  is  much  too  far." 
But  the  stranger  saying  nothing,  he  put  him  across. 
And  as  they  reached  the  landing  place  there  stood 
the  dogs.  But  when  he  turned  his  head  to  address 
the  man,  he  was  gone.  So  he  said  to  himself,  "  I  have 
seen  Glooskap." 

Yet  again,  —  but  this  was  not  so  many  years  ago,  — 
far  in  the  North  there  were  at  a  certain  place  many 
Indians  assembled.  And  there  was  a  frightful  com 
motion,  caused  by  the  ground  heaving  and  rumbling ; 
the  rocks  shook  and  fell,  they  were  greatly  alarmed, 
and  lo  !  Glooskap  stood  before  them,  and  said,  "  I  go 
away  now,  but  I  shall  return  again ;  when  you  feel 
the  ground  tremble,  then  know  it  is  I."  So  they  will 
know  when  the  last  great  war  is  to  be,  for  then  Gloos 
kap  will  make  the  ground  shake  with  an  awful  noise. 

Glooskap  was  no  friend  of  the  Beavers ;  he  slew 
many  of  them.  Up  on  the  Tobaic  are  two  salt-water 
rocks  (that  is,  rocks  by  the  ocean-side,  near  a  fresh 
water  stream).  The  Great  Beaver,  standing  there 
one  day,  was  seen  by  Glooskap  miles  away,  who  had 
forbidden  him  that  place.  Then  picking  up  a  large 
rock  where  he  stood  by  the  shore,  he  threw  it  all  that 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  21 

distance  at  the  Beaver,  who  indeed  dodged  it ;  but 
when  another  came,  the  beast  ran  into  a  mountain,  and 
has  never  come  forth  to  this  day.  But  the  rocks 
which  the  master  threw  are  yet  to  be  seen. 

This  very  interesting  tradition  was  taken  down  by 
Mrs.  W.  Wallace  Brown  from  a  very  old  Passama- 
quoddy  Indian  woman  named  Molly  Sepsis,  who  could 
not  speak  a  word  of  English,  with  the  aid  of  another 
younger  woman  named  Sarah. 

It  will  be  observed  that  it  is  said  in  the  beginning 
that  Glooskap  produced  the  first  human  beings  from 
the  ash-tree.  Ash  and  Elm  in  the  Edda  were  the 
Adam  and  Eve  of  the  human  race.  There  were  no 
intelligent  men  on  earth  — 

"  Until  there  came  three 
mighty  and  benevolent 
Aesir  to  the  world 
from  their  assembly 
nearly  powerless, 
Ash  and  Embla  (Ash  and  Elm), 
void  of  destiny. 

"  Spirit  they  possessed  not, 
sense  they  had  not, 
blood  nor  motive  powers, 
nor  goodly  color. 
Spirit  gave  Odin, 
sense  gave  Hoenir, 
blood  gave  Lodur 
and  good  color."  l 

1  The  Edda  of  Saemund,  translated  by  Benjamin  Thorpe. 
London  :  Triibner  &  Co.  1866.  Voluspa,  v.  17,  18. 


22  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

It  is  certain,  however,  that  the  ash  was  the  typic 
tree  of  all  life,  since  the  next  verse  of  the  Voluspa  is 
devoted  to  Yggdrasil,  the  tree  of  existence,  or  of  the 
world  itself.  It  may  be  observed  that  in  the  Finnish 
poem  of  Kalevala  it  is  by  the  destruction  of  the 
great  oak  that  Wainamoien,  aided  by  the  hero  of  the 
sea,  causes  all  things  to  grow.  The  early  clearing 
away  of  trees,  as  a  first  step  towards  culture,  may  be 
symbolized  in  the  shooting  of  arrows  at  the  ash. 

The  wolf,  as  a  beast  for  the  deity  to  ride,  is  strongly 
Eddaic. 

"  Magic  songs  they  sung, 
rode  on*wolves, 
the  god  (Odin)  and  gods.1 

We  have  here  within  a  few  lines,  accordingly,  the 
ash  as  the  parent  of  mankind,  and  wolves  as  the 
beasts  of  transport  for  the  supreme  deity,  both  in 
the  Indian  legend  and  in  the  Edda. 

As  Glooskap  is  directly  declared  in  one  tradition  to 
keep  by  him  as  an  attendant  a  being  who  is  the  course 
of  the  sun  and  of  the  seasons,  it  may  be  assumed  that 
the  black  and  white  wolf  represent  day  and  night. 

Again,  great  stress  is  laid  in  the  Glooskap  legend 
upon  the  fact  that  the  last  great  day  of  battle  with 
Malsum  the  Wolf,  and  the  frost-giants,  stone-giants, 
and  other  powers  of  evil,  shall  be  announced  by  an 
earthquake. 

1  Rognir  og  regin.  Odin  and  the  Powers.  Note  by  B.  Thorpe 
to  the  Hrafnagalar  Odins,  in  Edda,  p.  30. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  23 

"  Trembles  Yggdrasil's 
Ash  yet  standing, 
groans  that  aged  tree  ... 
and  the  Wolf  runs  .  .  . 
The  monster's  kin  goes 
all  with  the  Wolf.  .  .  . 
The  stony  hills  are  dashed  together, 
The  giantesses  totter. 
Then  arises  Hlin's  second  grief 
When  Odin  goes 
with  the  wolf  to  fight." 

Word  for  word,  ash-tree,  giantesses,  the  supreme 
god  fighting  with  a  wolf,  and  falling  hills,  are  given  in 
the  Indian  myth.  This  is  not  the  Christian  Day  of 
Judgment,  but  the  Norse. 

In  this  myth  Glooskap  has  two  wolves,  one  black 
and  the  other  white.  This  is  an  indication  of  day 
and  night,  since  he  is  distinctly  stated  to  have  as  an 
attendant  Kulpejotei,  who  typifies  the  course  of  the 
seasons.  In  the  Eddas  (Ragnarok)  we  are  told  that 
one  wolf  now  follows  the  sun,  another  the  moon ;  one 
Fenris,  the  other  Moongarm  :  — 

"  The  moon's  devourer 
In  a  troll's  disguise." 

The  magic  arrows  of  Glooskap  are  of  course  world 
wide,  and  date  from  the  shafts  of  Abaris  and  those 
used  among  the  ancient  Jews  for  divination.  But  it 
may  be  observed  that  those  of  the  Indian  hero  are 
like  the  "  Guse  arrows,"  described  in  Oervarodd's 


24  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Saga,  which  always  hit  their  mark  and  return  to  the 
one  who  shoots  them.1 

It  is  important  here  to  compare  this  old  Algonquin 
account  of  the  Creation  with  that  of  the  Iroquois,  or 
Six  Nations,  as  given  by  David  Cusick,  himself  an 
Indian  :  — 

"  There  was  a  woman  who  was  with  child,  with 
twins.  She  descended  from  the  higher  world,  and 
was  received  on  the  turtle.  While  she  was  in  the  dis 
tress  of  travail,  one  of  the  infants  in  her  womb  was 
moved  by  an  evil  desire,  and  determined  to  pass  out 
under  the  side  of  the  parent's  arm,  and  the  other  in 
fant  endeavored  in  vain  to  prevent  his  design.  They 
entered  the  dark  world  by  compulsion,  and  their 
mother  expired  in  a  few  minutes.  One  of  them  pos 
sessed  a  gentle  disposition,  and  was  named  Enigorio, 
the  Good  Mind.  The  other  possessed  an  insolence  of 
character,  and  was  called  Enigonhahetgea ;  that  is, 
the  Bad  Mind.  The  Good  Mind  was  not  content  to 
remain  in  a  dark  situation,  and  was  desirous  to  create 
a  great  light  in  the  dark  world  ;  but  the  Bad  Mind 
was  desirous  that  the  world  should  remain  in  its  orig 
inal  state.  The  Good  Mind,  determined  to  prosecute 
his  design,  began  the  work  of  creation.  Of  his  moth 
er's  head  he  made  the  sun,  of  her  body  the  moon. 
After  he  had  made  creeks  and  rivers,  animals  and 
fishes,  he  formed  two  images  of  the  dust  of  the  ground 
in  his  own  likeness,  male  and  female,  and  by  his 

1  The  Primitive  Inhabitants  of  Scandinavia.  By  Sven  Nilsson. 
Edited  by  Sir  John  Lubbock.  1868. 


GLOOSKAP    THE  DIVINITY.  25 

breathing  into  their  nostrils  he  gave  them  living  souls, 
and  named  them  ea  gwe  howe,  that  is  a  real  people  ; 
and  he  gave  the  Great  Island  all  the  animals  —  of 
game  for  the  inheritance  of  the  people.  .  .  .  The  Bad 
Mind,  while  his  brother  was  making  the  universe, 
went  through  the  island,  and  made  numerous  high 
mountains  and  falls  of  water  and  great  steeps,  and 
also  created  reptiles  which  would  be  injurious  to  man 
kind  ;  but  the  Good  Mind  restored  the  island  to  its 
former  condition.  The  Bad  Mind  made  two  images 
of  clay  in  the  form  of  mankind,  but  while  he  was 
giving  them  existence  they  became  apes.  The  Good 
Mind  discovered  his  brother's  contrivances,  and  aided 
in  giving  them  living  souls. 

"  Finding  that  his  brother  continually  thwarted 
him,  the  Good  Mind  admonished  him  to  behave  bet 
ter.  The  Bad  Mind  then  offered  a  challenge  to  his 
brother,  on  condition  that  the  victor  should  ride  the 
universe.  The  Good  Mind  was  willing.  He  falsely 
mentioned  that  whipping  with  flags  [bulrushes]  would 
destroy  his  temporal  life,  and  earnestly  solicited  his 
brother  to  observe  the  instrument  of  death,  saying 
that  by  using  deer-horns  he  would  expire.  [This  is 
very  obscure  in  Cusick's  Indian-English.]  On  the 
day  appointed  the  battle  began ;  it  lasted  for  two  days ; 
they  tore  lip  the  trees  and  mountains ;  at  last  the  Good 
Mind  gained  the  victory  by  using  the  horns.  The  last 
words  uttered  by  the  Bad  Mind  were  that  he  would 
have  equal  power  over  the  souls  of  mankind  after 
their  death,  and  so  sank  down  to  eternal  doom  and 
became  the  Evil  Spirit." 


26  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Contrasted  with  this  hardly  heathen  cosmogony, 
which  shows  recent  Bible  influence  throughout,  the 
Algonquin  narrative  reads  like  a  song  from  the  Edda. 
That  the  latter  is  the  original  and  the  older  there  can 
be  no  doubt.  Between  the  "  Good  Mind,"  making 
man  "  from  the  dust  of  the  earth,"  and  Glooskap, 
rousing  him  by  magic  arrows  from  the  ash-tree,  there 
is  a  great  difference.  It  may  be  observed  that  the 
fight  with  horns  is  explained  in  another  legend  in  this 
book,  called  the  Chenoo,  and  that  these  horns  are  the 
magic  horns  of  the  Chepitch  calm,  or  Great  Serpent, 
who  is  somewhat  like  the  dragon. 

In  the  Algonquin  story,  two  Loons  are  Glooskap's 
"  tale-bearers,"  which  occasion  him  great  anxiety  by 
their  prolonged  absences.  This  is  distinctly  stated  in 
the  Indian  legend,  as  it  is  of  Odin's  birds  in  the  Edda. 
Odin  has,  as  news-bringers,  two  ravens. 

"  Hugin  and  Mimin 
Fly  each  day 
over  the  spacious  earth. 
I  fear  for  Hugin 
that  he  comes  not  back, 
yet  more  anxious  am  I 
for  Munin." 

The  Loons,  indeed,  occasioned  Glooskap  so  much 
trouble  by  absences  that  he  took  wolves  in  their  place. 
The  ravens  of  the  Edda  are  probably  of  biblical 
origin.  But  it  is  a  most  extraordinary  coincidence 
that  the  Indians  have  a  corresponding  perversion  of 
Scripture,  for  they  say  that  Glooskap,  when  he  was  in 


GLOOSKAP    THE  DIVINITY.  27 

the  ark,  that  is  as  Noah,  sent  out  a  white  dove,  which 
returned  to  him  colored  black,  and  became  a  raven. 
This  is  not,  however,  related  as  part  of  the  myth. 

The  Ancient  History  of  the  Six  Nations,  by  David 
Cusick,  gives  us  in  one  particular  a  strange  coinci 
dence  with  the  Edda.  It  tells  us  that  the  Bad  Mind, 
the  principle  of  Evil,  forced  himself  out  into  life,  as 
Cusick  expresses  it  in  his  broken  Indian-English, 
"  under  the  side  of  the  parent's  arm  ; "  that  is,  through 
the  armpit.  In  the  Edda  (Vafthrudnismal,  33)  we 
are  told  of  the  first  beings  born  on  earth  that  they 
were  twins,  begotten  by  the  two  feet  of  a  giant,  and 
born  out  of  his  armpit. 

"  Under  the  armpit  grew, 
't  is  said  of  the  Hritnthurs, 
a  girl  and  boy  together  ; 
foot  with  foot  begat, 
of  that  wise  Jbtun, 
a  six-headed  son." 

There  are  in  these  six  lines  six  coincidences  with 
red  Indian  mythology :  (1.)  The  Evil  principle  as  a 
Jb'tun's  first-born  in  the  one  and  the  Bad  Mind  in  the 
other  are  born  of  the  mother's  armpit.  (2.)  In  one  of 
the  tales  of  Lox,  the  Indian  devil,  also  a  giant,  we  are 
told  that  his  feet  are  male  and  female.  (3.)  In  both 
faiths  this  is  the  first  birth  on  earth.  (4.)  The  six- 
headed  demon  appears  in  a  Micmac  tale.  (5.)  There 
is  in  both  the  Eddaic  and  the  Wabanaki  account  a 
very  remarkable  coincidence  in  this :  that  there  is  a 
Titanic  or  giant  birth  of  twins  on  earth,  followed  by 


28  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

the  creation  of  man  from  the  ash-tree.  (6.)  The  Evil 
principle,  whether  it  be  the  Wolf-Lox  in  the  Waba- 
naki  myths,  or  Loki  in  the  Norse,  often  turns  himself 
into  a  woman.  Thus  the  male  and  female  sex  of  the 
first-born  twins  is  identified. 

According  to  the  Edda,  the  order  of  births  on 
earth  was  as  follows  :  — 

First,  two  giants  were  born  from  the  mother's 
armpit. 

Secondly,  the  dwarfs  were  created. 

Thirdly,  man  was  made  from  the  ash-tree. 

According  to  the  Wabanaki,  this  was  the  order  :  — 

First,  two  giants  were  born,  one  from  his  mother's 
armpit. 

Secondly,  the  dwarfs  (Mikumwessuk)  were  created 
from  the  bark  of  the  ash-tree. 

Thirdly,  man  was  made  from  the  trunk  of  the  ash. 

The  account  of  the  creation  of  the  dwarfs  is  want 
ing  in  the  present  manuscript. 

Of  the  Great  Deeds  which  Glooskap  did  for  Men  ;  how  he 
named  the  Animals,  and  who  they  were  that  formed  his 

Family. 

(Passamaquoddy.) 

Woodenit  attih-hagen  Gloosehap  : 1  this  is  a  story 
of  Glooskap.  It  is  told  in  traditions  of  the  old  time 
that  Glooskap  was  born  in  the  land  of  the  Wabanaki, 
which  is  nearest  to  the  sunrise ;  but  another  story  says 
that  he  came  over  the  sea  in  a  great  stone  canoe,  and 
that  this  canoe  was  an  island  of  granite  covered  with 
1  Passamaquoddy. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  29 

trees.  When  the  great  man,  of  all  men  and  beasts 
chief  ruler,  had  come  down  from  this  ark,  he  went 
among  the  Wabanaki.1  And  calling  all  the  animals 
he  gave  them  each  a  name :  unto  the  Bear,  mooiii ; 
and  asked  him  what  he  would  do  if  he  should  meet 
with  a  man.  The  Bear  said,  "  I  fear  him,  and  I  should 
run."  Now  in  those  days  the  Squirrel  (rtii-ko)  was 
greater  than  the  Bear.  Then  Glooskap  took  him  in 
his  hands,  and  smoothing  him  down  he  grew  smaller 
and  smaller,  till  he  became  as  we  see  him  now.  In 
after-days  the  Squirrel  was  Glooskap's  dog,  and  when 
he  so  willed,  grew  large  again  and  slew  his  enemies, 
however  fierce  they  might  be.  But  this  time,  when 
asked  what  he  would  do  should  he  meet  with  a  man, 
Mi-ko  replied,  "  I  should  run  up  a  tree." 

Then  the  Moose,  being  questioned,  answered,  stand 
ing  still  and  looking  down,  "  I  should  run  through  the 
woods."  And  so  it  was  with  Kwah-beet  the  Beaver,2 
and  Glooskap  saw  that  of  all  created  beings  the  first 
and  greatest  was  Man. 

Before  men  were  instructed  by  him,  they  lived  in 

1  This  part  of  the  legend  is  from  a  very  singular  and  I  may 
add  almost  unintelligible  manuscript,  Storey  about  Glooscap,  writ 
ten  in  English  by  a  Passamaquoddy  Indian.     The   word   ark 
which  occurs  in  it  reminds  me  that  the  Indian  from  whom  I  ob 
tained  it  once  asked  me  if  I  did  not  think  that  Glooskap  was  the 
same  as  Noah.     This  sentence  is  as  follows  in  the  Indian-Eng 
lish  of  the  original :    "  Gloosecap  hat  left  from  ark  come  crosse 
even  wiht  wabnocelel." 

2  This  is  very  obscure  in  the  original  manuscript.     It  reads 
"Herask  beaber  did  do  anything  just  look  behager." 


30  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

darkness  ;  it  was  so  dark  that  they  could  not  even  see 
to  slay  their  enemies.1  Glooskap  taught  them  how  to 
hunt,  and  to  build  huts  and  canoes  and  weirs  for  fish. 
Before  he  came  they  knew  not  how  to  make  weapons 
or  nets.  He  the  Great  Master  showed  them  the  hid 
den  virtues  of  plants,  roots,  and  barks,  and  pointed  out 
to  them  such  vegetables  as  might  be  used  for  food,  as 
well  as  what  kinds  of  animals,  birds,  and  fish  were  to 
be  eaten.  And  when  this  was  done  he  taught  them 
the  names  of  all  the  stars.  He  loved  mankind,  and 
wherever  he  might  be  in  the  wilderness  he  was  never 
very  far  from  any  of  the  Indians.  He  dwelt  in  a 
lonely  land,  but  whenever  they  sought  him  they  found 
him.2  He  traveled  far  and  wide  :  there  is  no  place  in 
all  the  land  of  the  Wabanaki  where  he  left  not  his 
name  ;  hills,  rocks  and  rivers,  lakes  and  islands,  bear 
witness  to  him. 

Glooskap  was  never  married,  yet  as  he  lived  like 
other  men  he  lived  not  alone.  There  dwelt  with  him 
an  old  woman,  who  kept  his  lodge;  he  called  her 
Noogumee,  "  my  grandmother."  (Micmac.)  With  her 
was  a  youth  named  Abistanaooch,  or  the  Martin.  (M.) 
And  Martin  could  change  himself  to  a  baby  or  a  lit- 

1  This  was  read  to  me  by  an  Indian  from  a  wampum  record, 
now  kept  at  Sebayk.     I  do  not  think  I  am  mistaken  in  the 
phrase.     It  probably  refers  to  ignorance  of  warlike  weapons. 

2  This  is  from  the  Rand  manuscript.     The   writer  remarks 
that  these  expressions  were  the  very  words  of  a  Micmac  Indian 
named  Stephen  Flood,  "  who  had  no  idea  that  he  was  using  al 
most  the  identical  expressions  of   Holy  Writ  with  reference  to 
God." 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  31 

tie  boy,  a  youth  or  a  young  man,  as  befitted  the  time 
in  which  he  was  to  act ;  for  all  things  about  Glooskap 
were  very  wonderful.  This  Martin  ate  always  from 
a  small  birch -bark  dish,  called  witch-kwed  -  lakun- 
cheech  (M.),  and  when  he  left  this  anywhere  Gloos 
kap  was  sure  to  find  it,  and  could  tell  from  its  ap 
pearance  all  that  had  befallen  his  family.  And 
Martin  was  called  by  Glooskap  Uch-keen  (M.),  "my 
younger  brother."  The  Lord  of  men  and  beasts  had 
a  belt  which  gave  him  magical  power  and  endless 
strength.  And  when  he  lent  this  to  Martin,  the 
younger  brother  could  also  do  great  deeds,  such  as 
were  only  done  in  old  times. 

Martin  lived  much  with  the  Mikumwess  or  Elves,  or 
Fairies,  and  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  them. 

How  Win-pe  the  Sorcerer,  having  stolen  Glooskap' s  Family \ 
was  by  him  pursued,  and  how  Glooskap  for  a  Merry 
Jest  cheated  the  Whale.  Of  the  Song  of  the  Clams,  and 
how  the  Whale  smoked  a  Pipe. 

(Micmac.) 

^'kah-ne-oo.  In  old  times  (P.)?  m  the  beginning 
of  things,  men  were  as  animals  and  animals  as  men  ; 
how  this  was,  no  one  knows.  But  it  is  told  that  all 
were  at  first  men,  and  as  they  gave  themselves  up  to 
this  and  that  desire,  and  to  naught  else,  they  became 
beasts.  But  before  this  came  to  pass,  they  could 
change  to  one  or  the  other  form  ;  yet  even  as  men 
there  was  always  something  which  showed  what  they 
were. 


32       THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Now  Glooskap  lived  on  an  island  named,  Aja-lig- 
un-mechk,  and  with  him  were  many  Indians  with  the 
names  and  natures  of  animals  and  birds. 

These  men,  but  most  of  all  Pulowech,  the  Partridge, 
having  acquired  power  themselves,  became  jealous  of 
Glooskap,  and  made  up  their  minds  to  depart  when 
he  was  away,  taking  with  them  Martin  and  the  grand 
mother.  For  they  had  great  hope  that  Glooskap, 
being  left  alone  on  the  island,  would  perish,  because 
they  knew  not  his  power.  There  is  another  story 
which  says  that  he  was  living  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Oolostook,  at  a  place  called  Menogwes  (St.  John, 
N.  B.),  and  went  away  into  the  forest  as  far  as  Gool- 
wahgik  (Juan),  and  had  been  gone  six  weeks,  when 
he  returned  home  and  found  the  old  woman,  whose 
name  was  Mooinarkw,1  and  Martin  had  been  taken 
away.  Following  their  tracks  to  the  shore  he  saw 
one  of  his  greatest  enemies,  a  terrible  sorcerer  named 
Win-pe,  just  pushing  off  in  his  canoe.  And  with  him 
were  his  wife  and  child  and  Dame  Bear  and  Martin. 
They  were  still  within  call,  and  Glooskap  cried  from 
the  shore  to  the  grandmother  to  send  back  his  dogs, 
which  were  not  larger  than  mice,  and,  as  some  stories 
tell  us,  were  squirrels.  So  she  took  a  woltes-takun, 
which  is  a  small  wooden  platter,  and  on  such  Indian 
dice  are  tossed.  This  she  put  in  the  water,  and  placed 
the  dogs  on  it,  and  it  floated  to  the  shore,  and  Gloos 
kap  took  it  up.  Win-pe  with  his  family  and  prisoners 
pushed  on  to  Passanioogwaddy  (M.),  and  thence  to 

1  Mr.  Rand  translates  this  Micmac  word  as  Mrs.  Bear. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  33 

Grand  Manan ;  and  after  remaining  there  a  while  he 
crossed  over  to  Kes-poog-itk  (Yarmouth),  and  so  went 
slowly  along  the  southern  coast  through  Oona-mahgik 
(Cape  Breton),  and  over  to  Uktukkamkw  (New 
foundland),  where  he  was  slain. 

Now  whether  it  was  to  gain  magical  power,  or  to 
weaken  that  of  Win-pe,  or  to  chasten  the  others  by 
suffering,  who  knows?  But  Glooskap  rested  seven 
years  alone  before  he  pursued  the  enemy,  though 
some  say  it  was  seven  months.  And  when  the  time 
had  come,  he  took  his  dogs  and  went  to  the  shore,  and 
looked  far  out  to  sea  over  the  waves,  and  sang  the 
magic  song  which  the  whales  obey.1  Soon  there  rose 
in  the  distance  a  small  whale,  who  had  heard  the  call, 
and  came  to  Glooskap  ;  but  he  was  then  very  great, 
and  he  put  one  foot  on  the  whale  to  test  his  weight, 
and  the  fish  sank  under  him.  So  he  sent  it  away. 

Then  the  lord  of  men  and  beasts  sang  the  song 
again,  and  there  came  the  largest,  a  mighty  female, 
and  she  bore  him  well  and  easily  over  to  Kes-poog- 
itk.  But  she  was  greatly  afraid  of  getting  into  shoal 
water,  or  of  running  ashore,  and  this  was  what  Gloos 
kap  wished  her  to  do  that  he  might  not  wet  his  feet. 
So  as  she  approached  she  asked  him  if  land  were  in 
sight.  But  he  lied,  and  said  "  No."  So  she  went  on 
rapidly. 

1  In  the  Tales  and  Traditions  of  the  Eskimo,  by  Dr.   Henry 
Rink,  we  are  told  in  the  story  of  Akigsiak  that  an  old  man 
taught  the  hero  a  magic  lay  for  luring  a  whale  to  him.     In  an 
other,  Katersparsuk  sings  such  a  song  to  the  walrus. 
3 


34       THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

However,  she  saw  shells  -below,  and  soon  the  water 
grew  so  shoal  that  she  said  in  fear,  "  Moon-as-tabd- 
kdn-kwi-jean-nook  ?  (M.)  Does  not  the  land  show 
itself  like  a  bow-string  ?  "  And  he  said,  "  We  are 
still  far  from  land." 

Then  the  water  grew  so  shoal  that  she  heard  the 
song  of  the  Clams  as  they  lay  under  the  sand,  singing 
to  her  that  she  should  throw  him  off  and  drown  him. 
For  these  Clams  were  his  deadly  enemies.  But  Bootup 
the  Whale  did  not  understand  their  language,  so  she 
asked  her  rider  —  for  he  knew  Clam  —  what  they 
were  chanting  to  her.  And  he  replied  in  a  song :  — 

"  They  tell  you  to  hurry  (cussal)  (M.), 
To  hurry,  to  hurry  him  along, 
Over  the  water, 
Away  as  fast  as  you  can  !  " 

Then  the  Whale  went  like  lightning,  and  suddenly 
found  herself  high  on  the  shore.  Then  she  lamented 


and  sang 


"  Alas,  my  grandchild  (noojeech), 
Ah,  you  have  been  my  death; 
I  can  never  leave  the  land, 
I  shall  swim  in  the  sea  no  more." 

But  Glooskap  sang  :  — 

"Have  no  fear,  noogumee, 
You  shall  not  suffer, 
You  shall  swim  in  the  sea  once  more." 

Then  with  a  push  of  his  bow  against  her  head  he 
sent  her  off   into  deep  water.     And  the  Whale  re- 


GLOOSKAP    LOOKING    AT   THE    WHALE    SMOKING    HIS    PIPE. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  35 

joiced  greatly.  But  ere  she  went  she  said,  "  Oh,  my 
grandson,"  "  K'teen  2^nabskioass  rfaga  tomaice?" 
(P.).  "Hast  thou  not  such  a  thing  as  an  old  pipe  and 
some  tobacco?"  He  replied,  — 

"  Ah  yes. 

You  want  tobacco, 
I  behold  you." 

So  he  gave  her  a  short  pipe  and  some  tobacco,  and 
thereunto  a  light.  And  the  Whale,  being  of  good 
cheer,  sailed  away,  smoking  as  she  went,  while  Gloos- 
kap,  standing  silent  on  the  shore,  and  ever  leaning  on 
his  maple  bow,  beheld  the  long  low  cloud  which  fol 
lowed  her  until  she  vanished  in  the  far  away.  And 
to  this  day  the  Indians,  when  they  see  a  whale  blow, 
say  she  is  smoking  the  pipe  of  Glooskap. 

In  a  Passamaquoddy  tale  of  Pook-jin-skwess  the 
Witch,  the  Clams  sing  a  song  deriding  the  hero.  The 
words  are  :  — 

"  Mow  chow  nut-pess  sell 
Peri  marm-hole  wett." 

These  words  are  not  Indian,  but  they  are  said  to 
mean,  — 

You  look  very  funny  with  your  long  hair  streaming  in  the  wind, 
And  sailing  on  a  snail's  horn. 

The  large  Clams  sing  this  in  a  bass  voice,  the 
small  ones  in  falsetto.  The  gypsies  say  that  a  Snail, 
when  put  on  a  fire,  utters  four  cries,  or  sqneaks ;  hence 
in  Germany  the  Romany  call  it  Stargoli :  that  is, 
shtor-godli,  four  cries. 


36  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Of  the  Dreadful  Deeds  of  the  Evil  Pitcher,  who  was  loth 
Man  and  Woman,  and  how  she  fell  in  love  ivith  Gloos 
kap,  and,  being  scorned,  became  his  Enemy.  Of  the 
Toads  and  Porcupines,  and  the  Awful  Battle  of  the 

Giants. 

(Passaniaquoddy.) 

When  Glooskap  came  into  the  world  it  abounded  in 
giants,  monsters,  sorcerers  and  witches,  fiends  and 
devils.  Among  the  witches  there  was  one  whom  the 
Passaniaquoddy  call  Pook-jin-skwess,  or  the  Pitcher.1 
And  they  have  a  legend  that  she  once  fell  in  love  with 
Glooskap  when  he  was  young  and  had  not  gained  the 
power  of  his  riper  age.  He  fled  before  her,  and  she 
pursued  him.  It  was  a  dreadful  flight,  since  to  make 
rapid  steps  both  took  the  form  of  giants  by  their  m'te- 
oulin  (P.),  or  magic  power.  It  was  like  an  awful 
storm  in  winter,  the  wind  chasing  the  cloud ;  it  was 
like  a  frightful  tempest  in  summer,  the  lightning  chas 
ing  the  thunder.  As  the  snow  lay  deep,  both  had 
snow-shoes  on.  When  they  came  to  the  shore  Gloos 
kap  leaped  from  the  main-land  to  the  island  of  Grand 
Manan,2  and  so  escaped  her.  Now  the  snow-shoes  of 
Glooskap  were  sams }oolc  (P.),  or  round,  while  those 
of  Pook-jin-skwess  were  long  and  pointed,3  and  the 
marks  of  them  as  they  jumped  are  to  be  seen  deep  in 
the  rocks  to  this  day. 

1  It  is  not  impossible  that  this  well-known  Indian  witch  gave 
her  name  to  Moll  Pitcher,  the  famous  fortune-teller  of  Lynn. 

2  A  leap  of  about  nine  miles. 

8  The  Penobscots  give  the  long  shoes  to  Glooskap. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  37 

When  Glooskap  came  to  the  camp,  which  was  at 
Ogumkegeak  (M.),  iiosv  called  Liverpool,  he  found  no 
one.  But  there  lay  the  witch-kiced-lakun-cheech  (M.), 
or  birch-bark  dish  of  Martin,  and  from  it,  or,  as  an 
other  legend  states,  from  an  old  man  and  woman 
who  dwelt  hard  by,  he  learned  that  Win-pe  and  the 
families  had  been  gone  for  seven  years,  along  a  road 
guarded  by  wicked  and  horrible  beings,  placed  by 
Win-pe  to  prevent  the  Great  Master  from  finding  him. 
For  it  was  a  great  triumph  for  him  to  keep  Glooskap's 
friends  as  slaves,  and  all  the  land  spoke  thereof. 

And  these  monsters  were  Pook-jin-skwess,  or  the 
Evil  Pitcher  herself,  in  many  forms  ;  for  she  could  be 
man  or  woman,1  or  many  of  them,  and  also  several 
girls,  when  she  willed  it.  Now  it  is  a  great  part  of 
Indian  m'teoidin  (P.)  to  know  what  one's  enemies 
are  planning  and  plotting,  and  all  their  tricks  and 
darkened  paths  ;  and  in  this  Glooskap  went  beyond 
them  all,  for  before  his  time  every  one  went  his  own 
way,  even  in  wickedness.  But  Glooskap  first  of  all 
threw  out  his  soul  unto  others. 

And  when  he  came  to  Ogumkeok  he  found  a  hut, 

1  In  the  Tales  and  Traditions  of  the  Eskimo,  we  are  told  that 
a  woman  named  Arnakuak,  being  apparently  gifted  by  magic 
with  the  ability  to  change  her  sex,  had  her  daughter-in-law, 
Ukuamak,  for  a  wife,  and,  having  eloped  with  her,  was  followed 
and  killed  by  her  own  son.  As  this  is  almost  immediately 
followed  by  a  story  of  a  man  who  gave  birth  to  a  child,  it  would 
appear  that  the  idea  was  common  to  both  Eskimo  and  Indians. 
Only  the  wicked  magicians  in  Indian  tales  change  their  sex, 
like  Loki  in  the  Edda. 


38  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

and  in  it,  seated  over  a  fire,  the  ugliest  old  hag  he  had 
ever  seen,  trembling  in  every  limb,  as  if  near  death, 
dirty,  ragged,  and  loathsome  in  all  ways.  Looking 
up  at  him  with  bleared  eyes,  she  begged  him  to 
gather  her  a  little  firewood,  which  he  did.  And  then 
she  prayed  him  to  free  her  from  the  wah  gook  (M.),  or 
vermin,  with  which  she  was  covered,  and  which  were 
maddening  her  with  their  bites.  These  were  all 
devils  in  disguise,  the  spirits  of  foul  poison,  such  as 
she  deemed  must  kill  even  the  Master.  Now  Gloos- 
kap,  foreseeing  all  this,  had  taken  with  him,  as  he 
came,  from  a  bog  many  cranberries.  And  bidding 
Pook-jin-skwess  bend  over,  he  began  to  take  from  her 
hair  the  hideous  vermin,  and  each,  as  he  took  it,  be 
came  a  horrid  porcupine  or  toad.1  Then  the  hag 
asked,  "Have  you  found  one?"  "I  have,"  replied 
the  Master.  "  Edsp  !  "  (M.)  "  Crush  it !  "  was  her 
answer,  and  Glooskap  crushed  a  cranberry  ;  and  she, 
hearing  the  noise,  thought  that  he  had  done  as  she  bid, 
and  that  the  poison  on  his  fingers  would  penetrate  to 
his  life.  But  he  put  the  imps,  one  by  one,  under  the 

1  In  the  Eskimo  mythology,  Arnarkuagsak,  the  old  woman  of 
the  sea,  is  tormented  by  vermin  about  her  head.  These  are 
really  the  souls  of  still-born  or  murdered  infants,  who  have  be 
come  imps.  The  first  thing  which  the  angakbk  or  sorcerer,  who 
visits  her  must  do  is  to  free  her  from  these  pests.  The  de 
scent  of  the  sorcerer  to  this  mother  of  all  the  monsters  of  the 
sea,  who  are  at  the  same  time  giants,  when  they  choose  to  assume 
the  human  form,  recalls  that  of  Odin  to  Hela.  Both  make  tins 
journey  to  hell,  not  for  themselves,  but  in  the  interests  of  man 
kind. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  39 

wooden  platter,  which,  lay  before  him.  As  this  went 
on  he  put  the  witch  to  sleep.  When  she  awoke  he 
was  gone.  The  foul  porcupines  and  toads  were  swarm 
ing  all  over  the  ground,  having  upset  their  hive.  And 
filled  with  fury  at  being  made  a  jest  of,  since  it  was  a 
great  despite  that  he  had  not  even  found  it  worth 
while  to  kill  her  when  asleep,  she  burst  out  into  her 
own  form,  which  was  beautiful  as  sin,  wild  as  the 
devil,  and  gathering  up  all  her  imps,  and  making  her 
self  far  more  magical  by  fiercer  will,  went  onward  to 
encounter  him  again. 

Then  Glooskap  came  to  a  narrow  pass  in  the  hills. 
Here  were  two  terrible  beasts,  as  one  story  has  it,  or 
two  monstrous  dogs,1  as  it  is  told  in  another.  And 
they  attacked  him ;  but  he  set  his  own  at  them,  and 
they,  growing  to  tremendous  size,  killed  the  others. 
His  dogs  were  so  trained  that  when  called  to  come 
off  they  went  on,  and  the  more  they  were  bid  to  be 
quiet  the  more  they  bit. 

Soon  he  came  to  the  top  of  a  high  hill,  and  look 
ing  thence  over  all  the  land  saw  afar  off  a  large  wig 
wam,  and  knew  in  his  heart  that  an  enemy  dwelt 
therein.  And  coming  to  it  he  found  an  old  man  and 
his  two  daughters.2  Now  the  girls  came  out  greeting 

1  The  Indians   had   dogs   before   the   coming  of  the  whites. 
They  were  wolf -like. 

2  In  another   account,  an  old   sorceress   and  her  daughters  ; 
also  an  old  man  and  his  wife  and  daughters.     According  to  two 
versions,  these  are  all  separate  wizards,  but  the  whole  spirit  of 
the  Passamaquoddy  legends  make  them  Pook-jin-skwess  alone. 


40       THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

him  with  very  pleasant  glances,  wooing  softly  and 
sweetly;  they  offered  him  a  string  of  sausages,  siu-h 
as  the  Indians  make  from  the  entrails  of  the  bear 
by  only  turning  them  inside  out.  For  the  fat,  which 
clings  to  the  outside,  fills  the  skin.  When  these  are 
washed  and  dried  and  smoked,  many  deem  them  de 
licious.  But  these  which  the  girls  offered,  as  girls 
do,  to  show  their  love,  by  casting  the  string  round  the 
neck  of  the  favored  youth,  were  enchanted,  and  had 
they  once  put  the  necklace  upon  him  he  would  have 
been  overpowered.  However,  they  knew  not  of  this 
new  magic  which  the  Master  had  brought  into  the 
land,  by  which  one  can  read  the  heart ;  so,  as  they 
sidled  up  unto  him  with  smiles  and  blandishments, 
waving  in  the  wind  as  they  danced  their  garlands  of 
enchanted  sausages,  he  looked  as  if  he  wanted  to  be 
won.  And  when  his  dogs  growled  at  them  he  cried, 
"  Cuss!"  (M.),  which  means  /Stop!  but  which  the 
dogs  only  knew  as  "  Hie,  at  them  !  "  So  they  flew  at 
the  witches,  and  these  flashed  up  like  fire  into  their 
own  dreadful  forms  of  female  fiends.  Then  there 
was  a  terrible  tumult,  for  never  before  in  the  land  of 
the  Wabanaki  had  there  been  such  a  battle.  All  the 
earth  and  rocks  around  were  torn  up.  All  the  while 
the  Master  cried  to  the  dogs,  "  Stop !  These  are 

In  the  story  of  the  Rabbit  and  Lusifee  the  sorcerer  singly  twice 
assumes  the  form  of  an  old  man  and  his  two  daughters.  There  is 
yet  another  story,  in  wrhich  a  magician  thus  triples  himself  with 
two  daughters.  It  is,  I  believe,  Eskimo,  but  I  cannot  distinctly 
remember  as  to  this. 


GLOOSKAP    SETTING    HIS    DOGS    ON    THE   WiTCHES. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  41 

my  sisters.  Come  off,  ye  evil  beasts.!  Let  them 
alone !  Cease,  oh  cease  !  "  Yet  the  more  he  ex 
horted  them  to  peace  the  more  they  inclined  to  war, 
and  the  more  fiercely  they  fought,  until  the  witches 
tied. 

Then  he  entered  the  wigwam  where  the  old  sor 
cerer  sat,  waiting  for  him  as  food.  And  the  Master 
said,  "  Are  you  hungry  ?  Or  do  you  love  sausages  ? 
Here  they  are  !  "  Instantly  casting  the  links  around 
his  neck,  he  was  taken,  and  Glooskap  slew  him  with 
one  blow. 

Then,  going  on,  he  reached  the  Strait  of  Cam- 
soke  1  (M.),  or  Canso,  and  to  cross  over  again  sang 
the  song  which  wins  the  whales,  and  one  of  these  ris 
ing,  carried  him  to  the  opposite  shore.  Thence  he 
made  the  circle  of  Oona-mah-gik,  keeping  round  by 
the  southern  coast,  and  coming  to  the  old  camps 
where  his  enemy  had  been.  From  the  witch-kived- 
lakun-cheech,  or  birch-bark  dish,  left  by  Martin,  he 
learned  how  long  they  had  been  gone.2  When  he 
came  to  Uk-tu-tun  (M.,  Cape  North)  he  found  they 
had  rowed  to  Uk-tuk-ainqw  (M.,  Newfoundland),  and 
had  left  three  days  before. 

1  Camsoke  means,  "  There  is  a  high  bluff  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river."  — S.  T.  Rand. 

2  As   the  gypsy  leaves   his  patteran,  or    sign,  so  the  Indian 
makes  marks  which  set  forth  clearly  enough  how  long  he  has 
cuinped  at  any  place,  and  how  many  were  in  the  party,  etc.     It 
may  be  supposed  that  Martin,  not  daring  to  attract  Win-pe's  at 
tention,  effected  this  by  a  few  secret  scratches.    Thus  three  lines 
and  a  crescent  or  moon  would  mean  three  nights. 


42       THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Then  again  lie  sang,  and  once  more  a  whale  carried 
him  over.  And  now  he  knew  that  he  was  indeed 
coming  to  what  he  sought,  for  in  the  deserted  camp 
he  found  the  embers  of  a  fire,  still  smoking.  Ad 
vancing  rapidly,  he  saw  near  the  next  camp  Martin, 
seeking  wood  to  burn.  The  youth  and  the  old  Dame 
Bear  had  been  most  cruelly  treated  by  Win-pe,  and 
they  were  nearly  starved,  but  Martin's  clothes  were 
good.1  And  Martin  was  so  sunk  in  sorrow  that  he 
did  not  hear  Glooskap  call  him,  and  not  till  the  Mas 
ter  threw  a  small  stick  at  him  did  he  look  up,  and 
even  then  he  thought  it  had  fallen  from  a  tree.  Then, 
seeing  him,  he  cried  out  with  joy  ;  but  Glooskap,  who 
was  hiding  in  the  woods,  bade  him  be  silent.  "  Wait 
till  it  is  dark,"  he  said,  "and  I  will  go  to  your  wig 
wam.  Now  you  may  go  home  and  tell  your  grand 
mother." 

In  the  other  story  (M.)  it  is  narrated  that  as  Mar 
tin  with  the  grandmother  were  on  the  road,  and  Dame 
Bear  bore  him  as  almost  a  babe  on  her  back,  he 
turned  his  head  and  saw  Glooskap  following  them, 
and  cried  out,  — 

"  Where,  oh  where, 
Where  is  my  brother  ? 
He  who  fed  me  often 
On  the  marrow  of  the  moose  !  " 

1  There  is  a  reason  for  this  singular  detail.  Nancy  Jeddore,  the 
Indian  from  whom  Mr.  Rand  learned  one  version  of  this  leg-end, 
informed  him  that  the  Martin,  thin  at  all  times,  nlways  has  a  fine 
fur,  however  starved  he  may  be.  Dying  with  hunger,  he  is  al 
ways  well  dressed. 


GLOOSRAP   THE  DIVINITY.  43' 

And  she  replied,  — 

"  Alas  for  thee,  boy  ! 
He  is  far,  far  away  ; 
You  will  see  him  no  more." 

But  the  little  fellow,  seeing  him  again,  sang  as  before, 
and  Dame  Bear,  turning  her  head  and  beholding  her 
Master,  was  so  moved  that  she  fainted  and  fell  to  the 
ground.  Then  Glooskap  raised  her  in  his  arms,  and 
when  she  had  recovered  she  related  how  cruelly  they 
had  been  treated  by  Win-pe.  And  Glooskap  said, 
"  Bear  with  him  yet  a  little  while,  for  I  will  soon  pay 
him  in  full  for  what  he  has  done." 

Then  the  Master  bade  the  old  woman  go  back  to 
the  camp  with  Martin,  and  say  nothing.  It  was  the 
youth's  duty  to  go  for  water  and  tend  the  baby  in  its 
swinging  cot.  And  Glooskap  told  him  all  that  he 
should  do.  AVhen  he  should  bring  water  he  must 
mix  with  it  the  worst  filth,  and  so  offer  it  to  Win-pe, 
the  sorcerer. 

And  even  as  he  ordered  it  was  done,  and  Martin 
meekly  offered  the  foul  drink  to  the  evil  man,  who  at 
the  smell  of  it  cried  aloud,  "  Uk  say  !  "  (M.,  Oh,  hor 
ror  !)  and  bade  him  bring  a  cleaner  cup.  But  Martin, 
bearing  the  babe,  threw  it  into  the  fire,  and,  running 
to  the  spot  where  Glooskap  hid,  cried  out,  "  Nse-sako  ! 
nse-sako  !  "  (M.,  My  brother !  my  brother  !)  Win-pe, 
pursuing  him,  said,  "  Cry  out  to  him ;  your  brother 
cannot  help  you  now.  He  is  far  away  from  here,  on 
the  island  where  I  left  him.  Cry  out  well,  for  now 
you  must  die  !  "  All  this  had  been  done  that  Win-pe's 


44  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

power  might  be  put  to  sleep  by  anger,  and  his  mind 
drawn  to  other  things.  And  the  Master  rose  before 
him  in  all  his  might,  and  stepped  forward,  while 
Win-pe  drew  backward  a  pace  to  recover  his  strength. 
And  with  great  will  the  bad  man  roused  all  the  magic 
within  him,  and  as  it  came,  he  rose  till  his  head  was 
above  the  tallest  pine  ;  and  truly  in  those  days  trees 
were  giants  beyond  those  of  this  time.  But  the  lord 
of  men  and  beasts  laughed  as  he  grew  till  his  head 
was  far  above  the  clouds  and  reached  the  stars,  and 
ever  higher,  till  Win-pe  was  as  a  child  at  his  feet. 
And  holding  the  man  in  scorn,  and  disdaining  to  use 
a  nobler  weapon,  he  tapped  the  sorcerer  lightly  with 
the  end  of  his  bow,  like  a  small  dog,  and  he  fell 
dead. 

How  the  Story  of  Glooskap  and  Pook-jin-skwess,  the  Evil 
Pitcher,  is  told  by  the  Passamaquoddy  Indians.1 

(Passamaquoddy.) 

There  was  a  village  of  Indians  who  were  all  Black 
Cats,  or  Po'gum'k.  One  of  them,  the  cleverest  and 
bravest,  went  forth  every  day  with  bow  and  arrow,  tom- 

1  In  this  story  Glooskap  is  called  Pogumk,  the  Black  Cat  or 
Fisher,  that  is,  a  species  of  wild  cat,  while  Martin  is  a  N'mock- 
swess,  sable.  There  seems  to  be  no  settled  idea  as  to  what  was 
the  totem  or  innate  animal  nature  of  the  lord  of  men  and  beasts. 
I  have  a  series  of  pictures  scraped  on  birch-bark  illustrating 
these  myths,  executed  by  a  Passamaquoddy,  in  which  Glooskap 
and  the  adopted  grandmother  in  the  stone  canoe  are  represented 
as  wood-chucks,  or  ground-hogs.  (Mou-in-kAvess,  P.) 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  45 

ahawk  and  knife,  and  killed  moose  and  bear,  and  sent 
meat  to  the  poor,  and  so  lie  fed  them  all.  When  he 
returned  they  came  to  him  to  know  where  his  game 
lay,  and  when  he  had  told  them  they  went  forth  with 
toboggins  l  and  returned  with  them  loaded  with  meat. 
And  the  chief  of  the  Black  Cats  was  by  his  mother 
the  son  of  a  bear.2 

Pook-jin-skwess,  the  Witch,  was  a  Black  Cat.  She 
was  a  woman  or  a  man  as  she  willed  to  be  ;  but  in 
these  days  she  was  a  man.  And  she,  being  evil,  hated 
the  chief,  and  thought  long  how  she  could  kill  or  re 
move  him,  and  take  his  place.  Now,  one  day  when 
all  the  camp  had  packed  what  they  .had,  being  about 
to  travel,  Pitcher  asked  the  chief  to  go  with  him,  or 
with  her,  as  you  may  will,  down  to  the  water-side  to 
gather  gulls'  eggs.  And  then  they  went  far  out  in  a 
canoe,  and  very  far,  and  still  farther,  till  they  came  to 
an  island,  and  there  they  landed,  and  while  Pogumk 
(who  was  Glooskap)  sought  for  eggs,  the  false-hearted 
Pitcher  stole  away  in  the  akwSden  (P.,  canoe),  and  as 
she  paddled  she  sang  a  song  — 

"  Xikhed-ha  Pogumk  ruin  nekuk, 
Netswil  sagamawin  !  "     (P.) 

f 

"  I  have  left  the  Black  Cat  on  an  island, 
I  shall  be  the  chief  of  the  Fishers  now  !  " 

1  Toboggin,  a  sled  made  very  simply  by  turning  up  the  ends 
of  one  or  more  pieces  of  wood  to  prevent  them  from  catching  in 
the  snow. 

2  A  confused  but  important  point  in  all  these  myths. 


46        THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

So  she  came  to  the  village,  and  the  next  day  they 
all  departed  through  the  woods  ;  there  was  not  one  of 
them  left  save  the  one  who  was  worth  them  all.  And 
at  night  they  camped,  expecting  every  day  that  the 
chief  would  come  to  them,  and  till  then  Pitcher  was 
in  his  place. 

Now  on  the  thirtieth  day  the  chief  remembered  his  '. 
friend  the  Fox,  who  had  m9 Moulin  (P.)>  or  magic 
power.  And  he  sang  a  song,  and  the  Fox  heard  it, 
although  he  was  miles  away,  beyond  forests  and  moun 
tains.  And  thus  knowing  all,  he  went  to  the  shore 
and  swam  to  the  island,  where  he  found  the  chief.  At 
this  time  the  Black  Cat  could  not  swim  such  a  dis 
tance,1  but  the  Fox  offered  to  take  him  to  the  main 
land.  Then  they  waded  into  the  water,  and  the  Fox 
said,  "  Close  thine  eyes  and  hold  fast  to  my  tail  as 
tightly  as  thou  canst,  and  be  of  good  faith,  oh,  my 
elder  brother,  and  we  shall  soon  gain  the  shore." 
Saying  this,  he  swam  away  and  his  friend  followed. 
And  it  went  well  with  them,  but  the  chief  grew  weary, 
and  he  opened  one  eye  a  little,  and  saw  that  they  were 
not  ten  feet  from  the  shore.  And  being  of  little  faith  < 
he  thought,  for  he  spoke  not  aloud,  "  We  shall  never/ 
get  to  land."  But  the  Fox  replied,  "  Do  not  believe 
it."  But  the  journey  lasted  long,  for  what  seemed  to 
Pogumk  to  be  ten  feet  was  ten  miles,  and  the  wind 

1  The  most  powerful  manitous,  or  magicians,  in  the  Chippeway 
tales,  as  well  as  in  all  others  of  the  Indians,  may  exhaust  their 
power  and  be  forced  to  depend  on  that  of  inferiors  in  the  great 
art.  In  this  tale  Glooskap  is  decidedly  under  a  cloud. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  47 

was  high  and  the  waters  were  wild,  for  Pitcher  had 
called  forth  a  storm.  So  they  swam  all  day  and  all 
the  evening  before  they  landed.  "  And  now,  my  elder 
brother,"  said  the  Fox,  "  you  may  go  your  way."  And 
he  went  to  the  camp  of  the  Black  Cats. 

When  he  came  to  the  camp  it  was  cold,  and  there 
were  only  ashes,  for  the  people  had  gone  on.  So  he 
followed  them,  and  in  one  day  came  near  them.  And 
the  first  whom  he  overtook  was  his  mother,  bearing 
his  younger  brother  Sable  ('Nmmok  -  swess,  P.)  on 
her  back,  so  that  while  she  looked  forward  he  looked 
behind.  And  as  Pogumk  peeped  out  from  among 
the  leaves,  Sable  saw  him,  and  said,  "  Here  comes  my 
brother !  "  And  she  turned,  but  saw  nothing,  for  the 
chief  suddenly  hid  himself  behind  a  tree.  Then  they 
went  on,  and  Sable  cried  again,  "  Indeed,  mother,  I 
behold  my  elder  brother! "  And  this  time  the  mother, 
glancing  quickly,  caught  him,  and  they  all  laughed 
ijor  joy,  and  she  threw  Sable  down  in  the  leaves,  like 
|a  stick.  Then  the  chief  bade  Sable  run  to  the  camp. 
"xVnd  when  you  are  there,"  he  said,  "build  up  a  great 
fire  of  hemlock  bark,  and  take  Pitcher's  babe,  even  the 
,pabe  which  she  loves,  and  which  you  tend,  and  throw 
it  into  the  fire,  and  run  to  me  as  fast  as  you  can,  for 
-verily  thou  wilt  be  in  dire  need  to  do  so." 

And  as  he  commanded  it  was  done ;  and  when  the 

>  fire  was  hot,  Sable  threw  the  babe  into  it,  and  it  was 

j  burned  to  death.     And    Pitcher,  being,  as   one  may 

well  believe,  maddened  at  such  a  sight,  pursued  him 

as  a  starving  wolf  pursues  a  rabbit.     Then  Sable,  in 

great  fear,   cried  aloud,  "  Oh,  my  elder  brother,  my 


48  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

brother  !  "  And  Pitcher  screamed,  "  Call  aloud  to 
him,  for  you  must  run  as  far  as  the  island  where  Po- 
gumk  is,  to  save  yourself  !  "  Arid  at  that  word  Po- 
gumk  stepped  forward  and  confronted  her,  and  said, 
"  Truly,  she  need  not  run  so  far." 

And  seeing  him  and  hearing  this,  fear  came  upon 
her ;  but  she  laughed  aloud  to  hide  it,  and  said,  "  I 
did  but  chase  him  in  sport,  for  I  love  Sable."  But 
Pogumk  replied  grimly,  "  I  know  thee  and  thy  tricks, 
thou  the  evil  one."  Then,  as  his  magic  had  come 
to  him,  he  used  his  power,  and  put  Pitcher  with  her 
back  against  a  tree ;  and  there  she  stayed,  stuck  to 
it,  unable  to  get  away.  But  the  chief  and  Sable 
went  to  the  camp.  Now  Pitcher  had  a  hatchet  and 
wedge,  and  with  much  ado  she  cut  herself  away,  and 
the  Black  Cats  heard  her  pounding  and  chopping  all 
night  long.  And  in  the  morning  she  came  to  them,/ 
and  there  was  a  great  piece  of  wood  sticking  to  her 
back,  and  they  laughed  her  to  scorn,  and  sang  at 
her,  — 

"He  who  made  the  chief 
Stay  on  a  distant  island, 
He  is  stuck  by  the  chief 
Fast  with  his  back  to  a  tree."  l 


Now  Pitcher  the  Witch,  being  mad  with  shame  and 
spite,  fled  from  the  face  of  man,  and  ran  through  the 
woods  like  a  wild  wolf.  And  so  she  came  to  Bar 
Harbor  (Pes'sonkqu',  P.),  and  sat  down  on  a  log, 
and  said,  with  her  heart  full  of  bitterness  and  malice, 

1  In  another  version  Pook-jin-skwcss  is  turned  to  a  toad,  and  the 
piece  of  wood  or  bark  is  the  hump  which  she  bears  to  this  day. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  49 

"  I  would  that  I  could  become  something  which  should 
torment  all  men."  And  as  she  said  this  she  became 
a  mosquito  (T'sis-o,  P.),  and  so  it  came  to  pass  that 
mosquitoes  were  made.  And  to  this  day  men  see  that 
wherever  the  Black  Cat  is,  there  too  is  the  Sable  not 
far  away.1 

Of  this  Pook-jin-skwess  it  was  said  that  she  had 
children  of  her  own,  begotten  by  sorcerers  and  giants 
and  monsters  ;  but  as  they  were  all  ugly  she  stole 
from  the  Indian  women  their  fairest  babes,  and 
brought  them  up  as  if  they  were  her  own,  that  she 
might  not  be  entirely  put  to  shame  because  of  her 
children.  And  once  she  had  thus  stolen  a  boy,  and 
when  he  grew  up  some  one  said  to  him  that  he  should 
not  believe  that  she  was  his  mother,  but  should  ques 
tion  her  as  to  it.  Now  the  youth,  reflecting  on  this, 
^observed  that  his  brothers  and  sisters  were  all  as  ugly 
;as  evil  beasts  and  no  better  behaved,  while  he  himself 
comely  and  good.  Then  he  asked  her  what  this 


1  The    Passamaquoddy   version    relates  that    Pitcher   in   her 

»  flight  pursued  a  moose   to    Bar  Harbor,    where,  having  killed 

I)  him  and  drawn  out  the  entrails,  she  petrified  him.     A  Penobscot 

i|  woman  told  me  she  had  often  seen  the  moose  rock  there,  and  the 

"  inments."     But  she  attributed  the  deed  to  Glooskap,  to  whom 

-  it  properly  belongs,  his  petrified  moose  and  dogs  and  the  print  of 

his  bow,  etc.,  being  still  shown  in  Nova  Scotia;  and  it  is  also  said 

I  that  it   was  at   Freshwater,  after  returning  from  Bar  Harbor 

!  (Maine),  that  Pitcher  was  changed  into  a  mosquito. 

Another   story  states   that   Pook-jin-skwess,   having  pursued 
;    young  men  all  her  life,  changed  into  a  mosquito  that  she  might 
continue  to  prey  on  them. 
4 


50  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

might  mean.  And  she  replied,  laughing,  "  Because 
they  were  all  begotten  (or  born)  in  the  night-time, 
but  you  are  a  child  of  the  day  and  of  light."  1 

How  Glooskap  became  friendly  to  the  Loons,  and  made 
them  his  Messengers. 

(Micmac.) 

When  Glooskap  was  pursuing  Win-pe,  he  one  day 
on  Uktukamkw  saw  from  afar  flying  over  water  the 
Kwe-moo  (M.),  or  Loons.  And  thrice  did  their  chief 
make  the  circle  of  the  lake,  corning  near  to  the  land 
of  men  and  beasts  every  time,  as  if  he  would  fain 
seek  somewhat.  Then  Glooskap  asking  him  what  he 
wanted,  Kwe-moo  replied  that  he  would  be  his  ser 
vant  and  friend.  So  Glooskap  taught  him  a  strange , 
long  cry  like  the  howl  of  a  dog,  and  when  the  loons 
were  in  need  of  him  or  would  pray  to  him  they  werej 
to  utter  this  cry. 

And  it   came   to  pass  that  when  he  was  in  New 
foundland  he  came  to  an  Indian  town,  and  they  whc» 
dwelt  therein  were  all  Kwee-moo-uk,  or  Loons.     And 
they,  as  men,  were  exceeding  glad  to  see  their  lord,ff 
who  had  blessed  them  as  birds,  and  did  their  best  to*  V 

1  There  is  probably  an  allusion  in  this  to  the  Wabanaki,  or  I 
Children  of  Light  ;  that  is,  the  Algonquin.     This  story  was  told 
me  by  Noel  Josephs,  a  Passamaquoddy. 

I  have  been  told  by  an  old  Passamaquoddy  woman  that  the 
descendants  of  Pook-jin-skwess  were  the  'Nmmok-skwess.  This 
stealing  the  white  boy  is  related  in  another  tale  more  fully.  It 
may  refer  to  the  early  dark  Eskimo. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  51 

please  him.  So  he  made  them  his  huntsmen  and  mes 
sengers,  and  in  all  the  tales  of  Glooskap  the  K wee- 
moo  ever  appears  as  faithful  to  him.  Whence  to  this 
day,  when  the  Indians  hear  the  cry  of  the  Loon,  they 
say,  "  Kwemoo  el-komik-too-ajul  Gloocapal "  (He 
is  calling-  upon  Glooskap). 

How  Glooskap  made  his  Uncle  Mikchich  the  Turtle  into 
a  Great  Man,  and  got  him  a  Wife.1  Of  Turtles'  Eggs, 
and  how  Glooskap  vanquished  a  Sorcerer  by  smoking 
Tobacco. 

(Micmac  and  Passamaquoddy.) 

Now  when  Glooskap  left  Uktukamkw,  or  New 
foundland,  it  was  in  a  canoe,  and  he  came  to  Piktook 
(M.  for  Pictou),  which  means  the  bubbling  up  of  air, 
because  there  is  much  bubbling  in  the  water  near  that 
place.  And  here  there  was  an  Indian  village,  and  in 
that  place  the  Master  met  with  a  man  whom  he  loved 
all  his  life. 

1  This  legend  of  the  tortoise  is  carefully  compiled  from  six 
Different  versions  :  the  narration  of  Tomah  Josephs,  a  Passama 
quoddy  ;  the  Anglo-Indian  manuscript,  already  cited  ;  two  ac- 

<  counts  in  the  Rand  manuscript  ;  the  author  quoted  without  credit 
;n  The  Maritime  Provinces  ;  and  one  by  Mrs.  W.  Wallace  Brown. 

•-  as  the  totem  of  the  Tortoise  was  of  the  highest  rank  among  the 
(Algonquins,  this  account  of  its  origin  is  of  corresponding  interest. 
Having  employed  an  old  Indian  to  carve  the  handle  of  a  war 
/or  scalping  knife  for  me,  such  as  was  used  by  his  Passamaquoddy 
ancestors,  he  carved  on  it  a  tortoise.  It  was  especially  the  totem 

j  of  the  Lenni-Lenape,  called  by  the  Passamaquoddies  Lel-le-nabe\ 

',"  the  people." 


52  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

And  this  was  not  because  this  man,  whose  name  in 
Micmac  is  Mikchieh  and  in  Passamaquodcly  Chick- 
we-notchk,  meaning  the  Turtle,  was  great,  or  well 
favored,  or  rich.  For  truly  he  was  none  of  these, 
being  very  poor  and  lazy,  no  longer  young,  and  not 
very  cleyer  or  wise  in  any  way.  It  is  said  that  he 
was  indeed  Glooskap's  uncle,  but  others  think  that 
this  was  by  adoption.  However,  this  old  fellow  bore 
all  his  wants  with  such  good  nature  that  the  Master, 
taking  him  in  great  affection,  resolved  to  make  of  him 
a  mighty  man.  Which  came  to  pass,  and  that  in  a 
strange  manner,  as  we  shall  see. 

For  coining  to  Piktook,  where  there  were  above  a 
hundred  wigwams,  Glooskap,  being  a  very  handsome, 
stately  man,  with  the  manner  of  a  great  chief,  was 
much  admired,  and  that  not  a  little  by  all  the  women, 
so  that  every  one  wished  to  have  him  in  the  house. 
Yet  he  gave  them  all  the  go-by,  and  dwelt  with  his 
old  uncle,  in  whose  quaint  ways  and  old-time  stories 
he  took  great  delight.  And  there  was  to  be  a  great 
feast  with  games,  but  Glooskap  did  not  care  to  go,. 
either  as  a  guest  or  a  performer  in  the  play. 

Still  he  inquired  of  Mikchieh  if  he  would  not  take 
part  in  it,  telling  him  that  all  the  maidens  would  be 
there,  and  asking  him  why  he  had  never  married,  anc 
saying  that  he  should  not  live  alone.  Then  the  uncde 
said,  "  Poor  and  old  and  plain  am  I ;  I  have  not  even 
garments  fit  for  a  feast ;  better  were  it  for  me  to  smoke 
my  pipe  at  home."  "  Truly,  if  that  be  all,  uncle,"  re 
plied  Glooskap,  "  I  trow  I  can  turn  tailor  and  fit  you 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  53 

to  a  turn  ;  and  have  no  care  as  to  your  outside  or 
your  face,  for  to  him  who  knows  how,  't  is  as  easy  to 
make  a  man  over  as  a  suit  of  clothes."  "  Yes  ;  but, 
nephew,"  said  Mikchich,  "  how  say  you  as  to  making 
over  the  inside  of  a  mortal  ?  "  "  By  the  great  Beaver !  " 
answered  the  Master,  "  that  is  something  harder  to 
do,  else  I  were  not  so  long  at  work  in  this  world.  But 
before  I  leave  this  town  I  shall  do  that  also  for  you  ; 
anil  as  for  this  present  sport,  do  but  put  on  my  belt." 
And  when  he  had  done  that,  Mikchich  became  so 
young  and  handsome  that  no  man  or  woman  ever  saw 
the  like.  And  then  Glooskap  dressed  him  in  his  own 
best  clothes,  and  promised  him.  that  to  the  end  of  his 
days,  whenever  he  should  be  a  man,  he  would  be  the 
comeliest  of  men  ;  and  because  he  was  patient  and 
tough,  he  should,  as  an  animal,  become  the  hardest  to 
kill  of  all  creatures  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  as  it  came 
to  pass. 

*  So  Mikchich  went  to  the  feast.  Now  the  chief  of 
.Piktook  had  three  beautiful  daughters,  and  the  young 
est  was  the  loveliest  in  the  land.  And  on  her  he  cast 
his  eyes,  and  returning  said,  "  I  have  seen  one  whom 
I  want."  Now  all  the  young  men  in  Piktook  desired 
this  girl,  and  would  kill  any  one  who  would  win  her. 

So  the  next  day  Glooskap,  taking  a  bunch  of  waw- 
bap  (P.,  wampum),  went  to  the  chief  and  proposed  for 
Mikchich,1  and  the  mother  at  once  said  "  Yes."  So 

1  All  invitations  to  festivals,  or  formal  ceremonies,  proposals 
->f  marriage,  etc.,  were  preceded  among  these  tribes  by  a  gift  of 
wampum. 


54  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

the  girl  made  up  a  bed  of  fresli  twigs  and  covered  it 
with  a  great  white  bear-skin,  and  went  to  Mikchich, 
and  they  returned  and  had  dried  meat  for  supper.  So 
they  were  married. 

Now  Turtle  seemed  to  be  very  lazy,  and  when 
others  hunted  he  lounged  at  home.  One  day  his 
young  wife  said  to  him  that  if  this  went  on  thus  they 
must  soon  starve.  So  he  put  on  his  snow-shoes  and 
went  forth,  and  she  followed  him  to  see  what  he 
would  do.  And  he  had  not  gone  far  ere  he  tripped 
and  fell  down,  and  the  girl,  returning,  told  her  mother 
that  he  was  worthless.  But  the  mother  said,  "  He  will 
do  something  yet.  Be  patient." 

One  day  it  came  to  pass  that  Glooskap  said  to  Mik 
chich,  "  To-morrow  there  will  be  a  great  game  at  ball, 
and  you  must  play.  But  because  you  have  made  your 
self  enemies  of  all  the  young  men  here,  they  will  seek 
to  slay  you,  by  crowding  all  together  and  trampling 
upon  you.  And  when  they  do  this  it  will  be  by  your 
father-in-law's  lodge,  and  to  escape  them  I  give  you, 
the  power  to  jump  high  over  it.  This  you  may  da 
twice,  but  the  third  time  will  be  terrible  for  you,  and 
yet  it  must  be." 

All  this  happened  as  he  foretold ;  for  the  young  men 
indeed  tried  to  take  his  life,  and  to  escape  them  Mik 
chich  jumped  over  the  lodge,  so  that  he  seemed  like 
a  bird  flying.  But  the  third  time  he  did  this  he  was 
caught  on  the  top  of  the  tent-poles,  and  hung  there 
dangling  in  the  smoke  which  rose  from  below. 

Then  Glooskap,  who  was  seated  in  the  tent,  said, 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  55 

"  Uncle,  I  will  now  make  you  the  sogmo,  or  great 
chief  of  the  Tortoises,  and  you  shall  bear  up  a  great 
nation."  Then  he  smoked  Mikchich l  so  long  that  his 
skin  became  a  hard  shell,  and  the  marks  of  the  smoke 
may  be  seen  thereon  to  this  day.  And  removing  his 
entrails  he  destroyed  them,  so  that  but  one  short  one 
was  left.  And  he  cried  aloud,  "  Milooks  !  (M.)  My 
nephew,  you  will  kill  me !  "  But  the  nephew  replied, 
"  Not  so.  I  am  giving  you  great  life.  From  this 
time  you  may  roll  through  a  flame  and  never  feel  it, 
and  live  on  land  or  in  the  water.  And  though  your 
head  be  cut  off,  it  will  live  for  nine  days,  and  your 
heart,  even,  shall  beat  as  long  when  taken  from  your 
body."  So  Mikchich  rejoiced  greatly. 

And  this  came  betimes,  for  he  soon  had  need  of  it 
all.  For  the  next  day  all  the  men  went  on  a  hunt, 
and  the  Master  warned  him  that  they  would  seek  to 
slay  him.  Now  the  young  men  went  on  before,  and 
Turtle  lingered  behind;  but  all  at  once  he  made  a 
imigic  flight  far  over  their  heads,  unseen,  and  deep 
in/  the  forest  he  slew  a  moose.  Then  he  drew  this  to 
tljie  snow-shoe  track  or  road,  and  when  his  foes  came 
u.b  there  he  sat  upon  the  moose,  smoking,  and  wait- 
img  for  them.  Now  Glooskap  had  told  them  that 
t)iey  would  see  some  one  come  out  ahead  of  them 

1  In  a  verbal  Passamaquodcly  narrative  (John  Gabriel),  and 

i  n    one  given   in    The  Maritime  Provinces,  this  was  effected  by 

(jrlooskap  with   tobacco-smoke  from   his   pipe.     In   Mr.  Rand's 

manuscript  it  is  the  smoke  of  the  tent-fire.    The  Passamaquoddy 

narrations  are  invariably  more  spirited  and  humorous  than  the 

.  'Mic  mac. 


56       THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

all  that  day,  and  when  this  came  to  pass  they  were 
more  angered  in  their  hearts  than  ever. 

So  they  plotted  to  kill  Turtle,  and  his  nephew,  who 
was  about  to  leave,  told  him  how  it  would  be.  "  First 
of  all,  they  will  build  a  mighty  fire  and  throw  you 
in  it.  But  do  thou,  O  uncle,  go  cheerfully,  for  by 
my  power  thou  wilt  in  nowise  suffer.  Then  they  will 
speak  of  drowning,  but  thou  must  beg  and  pray  that 
this  may  not  be ;  and  then  they  will  the  more  seek  to 
do  so,  and  thou  shalt  fight  them  to  the  bitter  end,  and 
yet  it  shall  be." 

And  as  he  said,  so  it  came  to  pass ;  and  Mikchich, 
being  of  good  cheer,  bade  farewell  to  his  nephew.1 
And  they  seized  him  and  threw  him  into  a  great  fire, 
but  he  turned  over  and  went  to  sleep  in  it,  being  very 
lazy ;  and  when  the  fire  had  burnt  out  he  awoke,  and 
called  for  more  wood,  because  it  was  a  cold  night. 

Then  they  seized  him  yet  again,  and  spoke  <of 
drowning.  But,  hearing  this,  he,  as  if  he  were  'in 
mortal  dread,  begged  them  not  to  do  this  thing.  Ai'id 
he  said  they  might  cut  him  to  pieces,  or  burn  him,  a>s 
they  would,  but  not  to  throw  him  into  the  water) 2 

1  This  is  amusingly,  though  not  very  clearly,  set  forth  in  ttf,  e 
Indian  manuscript  as  follows  :  "  Make  believe  but  you  dond  war 
be  trown.      So  he  shaken  hands  witt  is  nuncel  kick  hororch  goo( 
by  do  him.    Tell  is  uncle  you  —  I  shall  not  be  kill  and  I  am  goiii£ 
Lever  (to  live)  —  we  may  meet  again." 

2  This  in  the  original  is  extremely  like  Brer  Rabbit's  prayer 
not  to  be  thrown  into  the  brier-bush.     As  this  legend  is  one  oi 
the  oldest  of  the  Algonquin,  and  certainly  antedating  the  com 
ing  of  the  whites,  I  give  it  the  priority  over  the  negro. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  57 

Therefore  they  resolved  to  do  so,  and  dragged  him 
on.  Then  he  screamed  horribly  and  fought  lustily, 
and  tore  up  trees  and  roots  and  rocks  like  a  madman ; 
but  they  took  him  into  a  canoe  and  paddled  out  into 
the  middle  of  the  lake  (or  to  the  sea),  and,  throw 
ing  him  in,  watched  him  sink  as  he  vanished  far  down 
below.  So  they  thought  him  dead,  and  returned  re 
joicing. 

Now  the  next  day  at  noon  there  was  a  hot  sun 
shine,  and  something  was  seen  basking  on  a  great 
rock,  about  a  mile  out  in  the  lake.  So  two  young 
men  took  a  canoe  and  went  forth  to  see  what  this 
might  be.  And  when  they  came  to  the  edge  of  the 
rock,  which  was  about  a  foot  high,  there  lay  Mik- 
chich  sunning  himself ;  but  seeing  them  coming  to 
take  him,  he  only  said,  "  Good-by,"  and  rolled  over 
plump  into  the  water,  where  he  is  living  to  this  day. 
In  memory  whereof  all  turtles,  when  they  see  any 
one  coining,  tip-tilt  themselves  over  into  the  water  at 
once. 

/  And  Turtle  lived  happily  with  his  wife,  and  she 
jhad  a  babe.  Now  it  happened  in  after-days  that 
Glooskap  came  to  see  his  uncle,  and  the  child  cried. 
*'  Dost  thou  know  what  he  says  ?  "  exclaimed  the  Mas- 
/ter.  "  Truly,  not  I,"  answered  Mikchich,  "  unless  it 
be  the  language  of  the  Mu-se-gisk  (P.,  Spirits  of  the 
Air),  which  no  man  knoweth."  "  Well,"  replied 
Glooskap,  "  he  is  talking  of  eggs,  for  he  says  4  Hoo- 
wah  !  hoo-wah ! '  which  methinks  is  much  the  same 
as  4  Waw-ivun,  waw-wun.'  And  this  in  Passama- 


58  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

quoddy  means  egg.  "  But  where  are  there  any  ?  " 
asked  Mikchich.  Then  Glooskap  bade  him  seek  in 
the  sand,  and  he  found  many,  and  admired  and  mar 
veled  over  them  greatly  ;  and  in  memory  of  this,  and 
to  glorify  this  jest  of  Glooskap,  the  Turtle  layeth  eggs 
even  to  this  day. 


The  great  Glooskap  was  a  right  valiant  smoker ;  in 
all  the  world  was  no  man  who  loved  a  pipe  of  good 
tobacco  so  much  as  he.  In  those  days  the  summers 
were  longer  in  the  land  of  the  Wabanaki,  the  sun 
was  warmer,  and  the  Indians  raised  tomawe  (tobacco, 
P.),  and  solaced  themselves  mightily  therewith.1  And 
there  came  to  Glooskap  a  certain  evil-minded  magi 
cian,  who  sought  to  take  his  life,  as  the  Master  very 
well  knew,  for  he  read  the  hearts  of  men  as  if  they 
had  been  strings  of  wampum.  And  this  m^teoulin 
(P.,  magician),  believing  himself  to  be  greatest  in  all 
things,  thought  to  appall  Glooskap  by  outdoing  him 
at  first  in  something  at  which  he  excelled ;  for  a  fish 
is  frightened  when  another  swims  faster,  but  not  till! 
then.  j 

And  the  man  sat  down  to  smoke  with  an  exceeding] 
long  pipe  with  a  great  bowl,  but  that  of  Glooskap 
grew  to  be  much  greater.  Then,  having  filled  his 
pipe,  the  sorcerer  exhausted  and  burnt  it  out  at  one 

1  I  have  met  with  an  old  Indian  woman  in  New  Brunswick 
who  told  me  that  her  grandmother  remembered  to  have  seen  to 
bacco  raised  there  by  the  Passamaquoddy. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  59 

pull,  and  then  blew  all  the  smoke  out  of  his  nose  at  one 
puff.  So  he  sat  and  looked  at  the  Master.  But  Gloos- 
kap,  whose  pipe  held  ten  times  as  much  tobacco,  did 
the  same,  and  blowing  it  out  split  the  rocky  ground, 
so  that  a  great  chasm  opened  before  them.  Then  they 
were  silent  awhile,  till  the  Master  said,  "  If  you  can 
do  that  you  may  kill  me."  But  he  could  not,  and  so 
went  back  with  shame  to  those  who  had  sent  him.1 

How  Glooskap  sailed  through  the  great  Cavern  of  Dark' 

ness. 
(Micmac.) 

Now  it  is  told  in  another  tradition  —  and  men  tell 
even  this  differently  —  that  pitchS,  in  these  old  times 
(P.)  Glooskap's  seven  neighbors,  who  were  all  so  many 
different  animals,  took  away  his  family,  and  that  he 
followed  them,  even  as  it  has  been  written,  unto  New 
foundland.  And  when  he  came  there  it  was  night, 
and,  finding  Marten  alone,  he  took  him  forth  into  the 
forest  to  seek  food,  putting  his  belt  on  the  boy,  which 
gave  him  such  power  that  he  hunted  well  and  got 
maich  meat. 

So  it  came  to  pass  that  the  next  morning  Dame 
Kjah-kah-gooch,  the  Crow,2  observed  that  Marten  was 

l^1  In  this  "tale  of  tobacco,"  told  me  by  John  Gabriel,  the 
aVil-minded  magician  is  described  as  a  Black  Cat.  This  is  prob 
ably  an  error,  as  Glooskap  himself  appears  as  chief  of  the  Black 
(Oats  in  another  tale.  It  may  be,  however,  that  this  was  Pook- 
jin-skwess  in  disguise. 

-  Kah-kah-gooch,  Micmac,  Kah-kali-goos,  Passamaquoddy.  The 
(Grow  is  represented  in  several  stories  as  always  peeping,  spy- 


60  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

drying  meat  on  his  wigwam.  And  this  she  spread 
abroad.  But  when  the  people  learned  that  the  child 
had  done  this,  a  great  fear  came  upon  them  all,  and 
they  sat  every  man  in  his  lodge  and  awaited  death, 
for  they  knew  that  the  Master  had  come. 

And  he  indeed  came ;  but  when  he  saw  them  all  as 
frightened  as  rabbits  before  the  wild-cat,  he  laughed 
aloud  and  forgave  them,  for  he  was  noble  and  gen 
erous.  And  as  they  were  hungry  —  for  he  had  come 
in  hard  times  —  he  gave  them  much  venison,  and  sor 
row  departed  from  their  wigwams.  But  as  they  had 
left  him  of  old,  he  now  left  them.  When  they  knew 
him  not  they  left  him  to  die ;  now  that  they  knew  him 
they  feared  lest  they  should  perish  without  him.  But 
he  turned  his  steps  towards  other  paths. 

Now  having  made  a  canoe,  the  Master,  with  Marten 
and  Dame  Bear,  went  upon  a  mighty  river.  As  the 
story  says,  it  was  broad  and  beautiful  at  first,  and  so 
they  sailed  away  down  towards  its  mouth.  Then  they 
came  to  great  cliffs,  which  gathered  round  and  closed 
over  them.  But  the  river  ran  on  beneath  these,  and 
ever  on  far  underground,  deeper  and  deeper  in  tlie 
earth,  till  it  dashed  headlong  into  rapids,  among  roclj:s 
and  ravines,  and  under  cataracts  which  were  so  hojr- 
rible  that  death  seemed  to  come  and  go  with  even 
plunge  of  the  canoe.  And  the  water  grew  narrowe 
and  the  current  more  dreadful,  and  fear  came  upo: 

ing,  begging,  pilfering,  and  tale-bearing  about  a  town.  Th 
Passamaquoddy  Indians  have  peculiar  superstitions  as  regard 
killing  the  crow. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  61 

Marten  and  the  woman,  so  that  they  died.  But  the 
Master  sat  with  silent  soul,  though  he  sang  the  songs 
of  magic,  and  so  passed  into  the  night,  but  came 
forth  again  into  sunlight.  And  there  was  a  lonely 
wigwani  on  the  bank,  into  which  he  bore  Marten  and 
the  grandmother,  and  saying,  "  Numchahse  !  arise  !  " 
lo,  they  arose,  and  deemed  they  had  only  slept.  And 
now  Glooskap  had  gained  the  greatest  power.1 

This  incident  of  passing  through  darkness,  on  a 
roaring  stream  in  a  frail  bark,  before  emerging  to 
sunlight  or  illumination,  was  not  only  in  the  ancient 
heathen  myths.  We  are  reminded  of  it  by  the  storm 
through  which  Jesus  passed  with  the  disciples.  That 
it  made  a  great  impression  upon  the  Indians  is  shown 
by  its  being  told  of  Pulewech,  the  Partridge,  who  is 
a  type  of  Glooskap,  and  who,  like  him,  makes  war 
on  the  powers  of  evil,  set  forth  in  the  Porcupines. 
The  Indians,  who  imagined  and  selected  so  many 
wild  and  terrible  tests  to  form  the  Shaman,  or  sor 
cerer,  as  well  as  the  warrior,  would  hardly  neglect 
that  of  de  profundis  clamavi,  the  storm,  the  waves, 
darkness,  and  the  roaring  flood. 

If  there  is  really  any  Norse  influence  in  this  tale, 
this  river  must  be  the  one  mentioned  in  the  Vaf- 
thrudnismal,  — 

1  This  incident  of  the  passage  underground  is  deeply  sugges- 
'ive  of  Wabeno  mystery  and  initiation.  It  will  strike  every  stu- 
Vent  of  classic  lore  as  almost  identical  with  much  that  he  has 
(pad.  If  it  has  not  the  same  symbolical  meaning  here,  it  has  ap- 
uone  whatever. 


i>arently 


62  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

"  Ifing  the  stream  is  called 
which  earth  divides  between 
the  Jotuns  and  the  gods. 
Open  it  shall  run 
throughout  all  time. 
On  that  stream  no  ice  shall  be." 

It  will  be  observed  that,  having  gone  down  or  across 
this  stream,  Pulewech  finds  himself  in  the  country  of 
the  Evil  sorcerers  ;  that  is,  Jdtunheim.  To  conquer 
a  river  among  the  Norse,  in  a  dream,  was  a  sign  of 
victory ;  to  be  carried  away  by  one  was  a  terrible 

omen. 

"  Methought  a  river  ran 
Through  the  whole  house, 
that  it  roared  violently, 
rushed  over  the  benches, 
brake  the  feet  of  yon 
brothers  twain  ; 
Nothing  the  water  spared  ; 
Something  that  will  portend." 

(Atlamal,  in  Grcenlenzku,  25.) 

Of  the  Great  Works  which  Glooskap  made  in  the  Land. 

(Micmac,  Passamaquoddy,  Penobscot.) 

i 
Over  all  the  Land  of  the  Wabanaki   there  is  n(|> 

place  which  was  not  marked  by  the  hand  of  the  Mas 
ter.  And  it  is  to  be  seen  on  hills  and  rivers  anc 
great  roads,  as  well  as  mighty  rocks,  which  were  in 
their  day  living  monsters. 

For  there  is  a  very  wonderful  highway  from  Cwesr 
owra  legek1  to  Parrsborough,  running  parallel  witl 
1  Hardwood  Point,  Fort  Cumberland. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  63 

the  river  now  called  Hebert,  and  this  road  is  called 
by  Indians  Ou-wokun,  the  Causeway,  but  by  white 
men,  or  the  Iglesmani,  the  Boar's  Back.  For  it  is 
said  that  he  meant  to  visit  Partridge  Island  and 
Cape  Blomidon,  but  they  who  were  with  him  had  got 
tired  of  the  sea,  and  wished  to  cross  over  by  land. 
And  while  they  were  resting  and  getting  ready  for 
their  trip  across,  the  Master,  raising  his  magic  power 
to  a  great  deed  to  be  spoken  of  forever,  went  away  a 
little  time,  and  cast  up  a  great  and  beautiful  level 
ridge,  throwing  it  over  bogs  and  streams ;  and  on  this 
they  traveled,  rejoicing,  and,  having  reached  the  isl 
and,  awaited  him. 

And  yet  again  the  Master  did  a  mighty  deed.  It 
came  to  pass  in  those  days  that  the  Beavers  had  built 
a  dam  across  from  Utkoguncheek,  or  Cape  Blomidon, 
to  the  opposite  shore,  and  thereby  made  a  pond  that 
filled  all  the  valley  of  Annapolis.  Now  in  those 
times  the  Beavers  were  monstrous  beasts,  and  the 
Master,  though  kind  of  heart,  seems  to  have  had  but 
little  love  for  them  ever  since  the  day  when  Qwah- 
beetsis,  the  son  of  the  Great  Beaver,  tempted  Malsum 
to  slay  his  brother.  Now  the  bones  of  these  Beavers 
niay  be  found  to  this  day,  and  many  there  are  on 
Oonamahgik,  and  their  teeth  are  six  inches  across, 
?,nd  there  are  no  such  qivah-beet  to-day.1  And  these 
f,re  the  remains  of  the  Beavers  who  built  the  dam  at 
Cape  Blomidon  and  forded  the  Annapolis  Valley. 

1  Both  Mr.  Rand  and  myself  have  been  solemnly  assured  by 
Indians  who  had  seen  these  antediluvian  remains  that  they  are 
the  petrified  relics  of  Glooskap's  victims. 


64       THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Now  Glooskap  would  have  a  hunt  and  do  a  deed 
which  should  equal  the  great  whale-fishing  of  Kit- 
pooseeog-unow.  So  he  cut  the  great  dam  near  the 
shore,  and  bade  Marten  watch ;  for  he  said,  "  I  mis 
trust  that  there  is  a  little  Beaver  hiding  hereabouts." 
And  when  the  dam  was  cut  from  where  it  joined  the 
shore  there  was  a  mighty  rush  of  many  waters,  so  that 
it  swung  round  to  the  westward,  yet  it  did  not  break 
away  from  the  other  shore.  Therefore  the  end  of  it 
lodged  with  a  great  split  therein  when  the  flood  had 
found  a  free  course,  and  the  whole  may  be  seen  there 
still,  eveirto  this  day,  and  may  be  seen  by  all  of  those 
who  pass  up  the  bay ;  and  this  point,  or  Cape  Split, 
is  called  by  the  Micmacs  Pleegun,  which,  being  inter 
preted,  means  the  opening  of  a  beaver  dam. 

Then,  to  frighten  the  Beaver,  Glooskap  threw  at  it 
a  few  handf uls  of  earth,  and  these,  falling  somewhat 
to  the  eastward  of  Partridge  Island,  became  the  Five 
Islands.  And  the  pond  which  was  left  was  the  Basin 
of  Minas. 

And  yet  another  tradition  tells  that,  after  cutting 
the  dam,  Glooskap  sat  and  watched,  but  no  beaver 
came  out ; a  for  Qwah-beet  had  gone  out  of  a  back 
door.  So  he  took  a  rock  and  threw  it  afar,2  —  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles,  —  to  scare  the  Beaver  back 
again  ;  but  the  Beaver  had  gone  over  the  Grand  Falls 
and  the  stone  remaineth  there  even  to  this  day. 

1  This  is  the  Anglo-Indian  manuscript,  already  referred  to. 

2  "  He  tock  Rock  tructed  150  miles  ip  River  to  sker  beabe 
bock  down,  but  beaber  has  gone  ober  granfalls." 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  65 

The  Story  of  Glooskap  as  told  in  a  few  Words  by  a  Woman 
of  the  Penobscots. 

"  Glus-gahbe  gave  names  to  everything.  He  made 
men  and  gave  them  life,  and  made  the  winds  to  make 
the  waters  move.  The  Turtle  was  his  uncle ;  the 
Mink,  Uk-see-meezel,  his  adopted  son;  and  Monin- 
kwessos,  the  Woodchuck,  his  grandmother.  The 
Beaver  built  a  great  dam,  and  Glus-gahbe  turned  it 
away  and  killed  the  Beaver.  At  Moose-tchick  he 
killed  a  moose  ;  the  bones  may  be  seen  at  Bar  Har 
bor  turned  to  stone.  He  threw  the  entrails  of  the 
Moose  across  the  bay  to  his  dogs,  and  they,  too,  may 
be  seen  there  to  this  day,  as  I  myself  have  seen  them ; 
and  there,  too,  in  the  rock  are  the  prints  of  his  bow 
and  arrow."  l 

1  Many  a  place  is  pointed  out  as  the  locality  of  the  same 
legend.  In  addition  to  those  in  New  Brunswick  and  Bar  Har 
bor,  Thoreau  found  another  in  Maine,  which  he  thus  de 
scribes  :  — 

"  While  we  were  crossing  this  bay  "  (that  is,  the  mouth  of  Moose 
River),  "  where  Mount  Kiiieo  rose  dark  before  us,  within  two  or 
three  miles,  the  Indian  repeated  the  tradition  respecting  this 
mountain's  having  been  anciently  a  cow  moose, —  how  a  mighty 
Indian  hunter,  whose  name  I  forget,  succeeded  in  killing  this 
queen  of  the  moose  tribe  with  great  difficulty,  while  her  calf  was 
killed  somewhere  among  the  islands  in  Penobscot  Bay  ;  and  to 
his  eyes  this  mountain  had  still  the  form  of  the  moose  in  a  re 
clining  posture,  its  precipitous  side  presenting  the  outline  of  her 
head.  He  told  this  at  some  length,  though  it  did  not  amount  to 
much,  and  with  apparent  good  faith,  and  asked  us  how  we  sup 
posed  the  hunter  could  have  killed  such  a  mighty  moose  as  that ; 
5 


66       THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

How    Glooskap,    leaving    the    World,    all    the    Animals 
mourned  for  him.,  and  how,  ere  he  departed,  he  gave 

Gifts  to  Men. 

(Micmac.) 

Now  Glooskap  had  freed  the  world  from  all  the 
mighty  monsters  of  an  early  time :  the  giants  wan 
dered  no  longer  in  the  wilderness ;  the  cullo  terrified 
man  no  more,  as  it  spread  its  wings  like  the  cloud  be- 
how  we  could  do  it.  Whereupon  a  man-of-war  to  fire  broad 
sides  into  her  was  suggested,  etc.  An  Indian  tells  such  a  story 
as  if  he  thought  it  deserved  to  have  a  good  deal  said  about  it, 
only  he  has  not  got  it  to  say;  and  so  he  makes  up  for  the  de 
ficiency  by  a  drawling  tone,  long-windedness,  and  a  dumb  won 
der  which  he  hopes  will  be  contagious." 

This  concluding  criticism  is  indeed  singularly  characteristic 
of  Mr.  Thoreau's  own  nasal  stories  about  Nature,  but  it  is  as 
utterly  untrue  as  ridiculous  when  applied  to  any  Indian  story 
telling  to  which  I  have  ever  listened,  and  I  have  known  the  near 
relatives  of  the  Indians  of  whom  he  speaks,  and  heard  many 
of  them  tell  their  tales.  This  writer  passed  months  in  Maine, 
choosing  Penobscot  guides  expressly  to  study  them,  to  read  In 
dian  feelings  and  get  at  Indian  secrets,  and  this  account  of 
Glooskap,  whose  name  he  forgets,  is  a  fair  specimen  of  what 
he  learned.  Yet  he  could  in  the  same  book  write  as  follows  : 
"The  Anglo-American  can  indeed  cut  down  and  grub  up  all 
this  waving  forest,  and  make  a  stump  and  vote  for  Buchanati 
on  its  ruins  ;  but  he  cannot  converse  with  the  spirit  of  the  tretj; 
he  fells,  he  cannot  read  the  poetry  and  mythology  which  retiresi 
as  he  advances." 

If  Mr.  Thoreau  had  known  the  Indian  legend  of  the  spirit  of 
the  fallen  tree  —  and  his  guide  knew  it  well  —  he  might  have 
been  credited  with  speaking  wisely  of  the  poetry  and  mythology 
which  he  ridicules  the  poor  rural  Yankees  for  not  possessing 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  67 

tween  him  and  the  sun ;  the  dreadful  Chenoo  of  the 
North  devoured  him  not ;  no  evil  beasts,  devils,  and 
serpents  were  to  be  found  near  his  home.  And  the 
Master  had,  moreover,  taught  men  the  arts  which 
made  them  happier  ;  but  they  were  not  grateful  to  him, 
and  though  they  worshiped  him  they  were  not  the  less 
wicked. 

"  Now  when  the  ways  of  men  and  beasts  waxed  evil 
they  greatly  vexed  Glooskap,  and  at  length  he  could 
no  longer  endure  them,  and  he  made  a  rich  feast  by 
the  shore  of  the  great  Lake  Minas.  All  the  beasts 
came  to  it,  and  when  the  feast  was  over  he  got  into 
a  great  canoe,  and  the  beasts  looked  after  him  till 
they  saw  him  no  more.  And  after  they  ceased  to 
see  him,  they  still  heard  his  voice  as  he  sang ;  but 
the  sounds  grew  fainter  and  fainter  in  the  distance, 
and  at  last  they  wholly  died  away ;  and  then  deep 
silence  fell  on  them  all,  and  a  great  marvel  came 
to  pass,  and  the  beasts,  who  had  till  now  spoken  but 
one  language,  were  no  longer  able  to  understand  each 
other,  and  they  fled  away,  each  his  own  way,  and 
never  again  have  they  met  together  in  council.  Until 
the  day  when  Glooskap  shall  return  to  restore  the 
Golden  Age,  and  make  men  and  animals  dwell  once 

Such  a  writer  can,  indeed,  peep  and  botanize  on  the  grave  of 
Mother  Nature,  hut  never  evoke  her  spirit. 

The  moving  the  island  is  evidently  of  Eskimo  origin,  since 
Crantz  (History  of  Greenland)  heard  nearly  the  same  story  of 
some  magician-giant.  It  was  prohably  suggested  by  the  very 
common  floating  away  of  ice-islands. 


68       THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

more  together  in  amity  and  peace,  all  Nature  mourns. 
And  tradition  says  that  on  his  departure  from  Acadia 
the  Great  Snowy  Owl  retired  to  the  deep  forests,  to 
return  no  more  until  he  could  come  to  welcome  Gloos- 
kap  ;  and  in  those  sylvan  depths  the  owls  even  yet  re 
peat  to  the  night  J£oo-koo-skoos  !  which  is  to  say  in  the 
Indian  tongue,  '  Oh,  I  am  sorry  !  Oh,  I  am  sorry  !  ' 
And  the  Loons,  who  had  been  the  huntsmen  of  Gloos- 
kap,  go  restlessly  up  and  down  through  the  world, 
seeking  vainly  for  their  master,  whom  they  cannot 
find,  and  wailing  sadly  because  they  find  him  not."  1 

But  ere  the  Master  went  away  from  life,  or  ceased 
to  wander  in  the  ways  of  men,  he  bade  it  be  made 
known  by  the  Loons,  his  faithful  messengers,  that  be 
fore  his  departure  years  would  pass,  and  that  whoever 
would  seek  him  might  have  one  wish  granted,  what 
ever  that  wish  might  be.  Now,  though  the  journey 
was  long  and  the  trials  were  terrible  which  those  must 
endure  who  would  find  Glooskap,  there  were  still  many 
men  who  adventured  them.2 

Now  ye  shall  hear  who  some  of  these  were  and 

1  This  passage  is  one  of  seven  on  the  subject  of  Glooskap,  cited 
in  Osgood's  Maritime  Provinces,  without  giving  either  the  name 
of  the  author  or  the  book  from  which  they  were  taken. 

2  There  is  a  great  embarrassment  of  riches,  or  rather  a  great 
wealth  of  embarrassment,  as  regards  this  chapter.     In  the  Rand 
manuscript  there  are  three  histories  of  the  adventures  of  the  pil 
grims  who  sought  Glooskap.     Another  and  very  different  war 
given  to  me  by  John  Gabriel.     In  one  account  there  are  three 
travelers,  in  another  four  ;  others  speak  of  seven  and  twelve. 
Finally,  there  are  many  incidents  which  apparently  belong  to 


GLOOSKAP    THE  DIVINITY.  69 

what  happened  to  them.  And  this  is  the  first  tale  as 
it  was  told  me  in  the  tent  of  John  Gabriel,  the  Passa- 
maquoddy. 

When  all  men  had  heard  that  Glooskap  would  grant 
a  wish  to  any  one  who  would  come  to  him,  three  In 
dians  resolved  to  try  this  thing ;  and  one  was  a  Mali- 
seet  from  St.  John,  and  the  other  two  were  Penobscots 
from  Old  Town.  And  the  path  was  long  and  the  way 
was  hard,  and  they  suffered  much,  and  they  were  seven 
years  on  it  ere  they  came  to  him.  But  while  they 
were  yet  three  months'  journey  from  his  dwelling, 
they  heard  the  barking  of  his  dogs,  and  as  they  drew 
nearer,  day  by  day,  it  was  louder.  And  so,  after  great 
trials,  they  found  the  lord  of  men  and  beasts,  and  he 
made  them  welcome  and  entertained  them. 

But,  ere  they  went,  he  asked  them  what  they  want 
ed.  And  the  eldest,  who  was  an  honest,  simple  man, 
and  of  but  little  account  among  his  people,  because 
he  was  a  bad  hunter,  asked  that  he  might  excel  in  the 
killing  and  catching  of  game.  Then  the  Master  gave 
him  a  flute,  or  the  magic  pipe,  which  pleases  every 
ear,  and  has  the  power  of  persuading  every  animal  to 
follow  him  who  plays  it.  And  he  thanked  the  lord, 
and  left. 

Now  the  second  Indian,  being  asked  what  he  would 

tliis  part  of  the  Glooskap  cycle,  scattered  here  and  there  in  dif 
ferent  disconnected  legends. 

Mrs.  W.  Wallace  Brown  was  told  by  the  Passamaquoddy  In 
dians  that  when  Glooskap  departed  he  took  with  him  the  king  of 
each  of  the  different  kinds  of  animals  ;  so  that  the  wolves,  loons, 
etc.,  mourn  not  only  for  the  lord,  but  for  their  masters. 


70       THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

have,  replied,  The  love  of  many  women.  And  when 
Glooskap  asked  how  many,  he  said,  "  I  care  not  how 
many,  so  that  there  are  but  enough  of  them,  and  more 
than  enough."  At  hearing  this  the  Master  seemed 
displeased,  but,  smiling  anon,  he  gave  him  a  bag  which 
was  tightly  tied,  and  told  him  not  to  open  it  until  he 
had  reached  his  home.  So  he  thanked  the  lord,  and 
left. 

Now  the  third  Indian  was  a  gay  and  handsome  but 
foolish  young  fellow,  whose  whole  heart  was  set  on 
making  people  laugh,  and  on  winning  a  welcome  at 
every  merry-making.  And  he,  being  asked  what  he 
would  have  or  what  he  chiefly  wanted,  said  that  it 
would  please  him  most  to  be  able  to  make  a  certain 
quaint  and  marvelous  sound  or  noise,1  which  was  fre 
quent  in  those  primitive  times  among  all  the  Waba- 
naki,  and  which  it  is  said  may  even  yet  be  heard  in  a 
few  sequestered  wigwams  far  in  the  wilderness,  away 
from  men ;  there  being  still  here  and  there  a  deep  ma 
gician,  or  man  of  mystery,  who  knows  the  art  of  pro 
ducing  it.  And  the  property  of  this  wondrous  sound 
is  such  that  they  who  hear  it  must  needs  burst  into  a 
laugh;  whence  it  is  the  cause  that  the  men  of  these 
our  modern  times  are  so  sorrowful,  since  that  sound  is 
no  more  heard  in  the  land.  And  to  him  Glooskap  was 
also  affable,  sending  Marten  into  the  woods  to  seek  a 
certain  mystical  and  magic  root,  which  when  eaten 
would  make  the  miracle  the  young  man  sought.  But 
he  warned  him  not  to  touch  the  root  ere  he  got  to  his 
1  Pedere,  crepitare. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  71 

home,  or  it  would  be  the  worse  for  him.  And  so  he 
kindly  thanked  the  lord,  and  left. 

It  had  taken  seven  years  to  come,  but  seven  days 
were  all  that  was  required  to  tread  the  path  returning 
to  their  home,  that  is,  for  him  who  got  there.  Only 
one  of  all  the  three  beheld  his  lodge  again.  This  was 
the  hunter,  who,  with  his  pipe  in  his  pocket,  and  not  a 
care  in  his  heart,  trudged  through  the  woods,  satisfied 
that  so  long  as  he  should  live,  there  would  always  be 
venison  in  the  larder. 

But  he  who  loved  women,  and  had  never  won  even 
a  wife,  was  filled  with  anxious  wishfulness.  And  he 
had  not  gone  very  far  into  the  woods  before  he  opened 
the  bag.  And  there  flew  out  by  hundreds,  like  white 
doves,  swarming  all  about  him,  beautiful  girls,  with 
black  burning  eyes  and  flowing  hair.  And  wild  with 
passion  the  winsome  witches  threw  their  arms  about 
him,  and  kissed  him  as  he  responded  to  their  em 
braces  ;  but  they  came  ever  more  and  more,  wilder 
and  more  passionate.  And  he  bade  them  give  way, 
but  they  would  not,  and  he  sought  to  escape,  but  he 
could  not ;  and  so  panting,  crying  for  breath,  smoth 
ered,  he  perished.  And  those  who  came  that  way 
found  him  dead,  but  what  became  of  the  girls  no  man 
knows. 

Now  the  third  went  merrily  onward  alone,  when 
all  at  once  it  flashed  upon  his  mind  that  Glooskap 
had  given  him  a  present,  and  without  the  least  heed 
to  the  injunction  that  he  was  to  wait  till  he  had 
reached  his  home  drew  out  the  root  and  ate  it ;  and 


72       THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

scarce  had  lie  done  tins  ere  lie  realized  that  he  pos 
sessed  the  power  of  uttering  the  weird  and  mystic 
sound  to  absolute  perfection.  And  as  it  rang  o'er  many 
a  hill  and  dale,  and  woke  the  echoes  of  the  distant 
hills,  until  't  was  answered  by  the  solemn  owl,  he  felt 
that  it  was  indeed  wonderful.  So  he  walked  011  gayly, 
trumpeting  as  he  went,  over  hill  and  vale,  happy  as  a 
bird. 

But  by  and  by  he  began  to  weary  of  himself.  See 
ing  a  deer  he  drew  an  arrow  and  stealing  silently  to 
the  game  was  just  about  to  shoot,  when  despite  him 
self  the  wild,  unearthly  sound  broke  forth  like  a  de 
mon's  warble.  The  deer  bounded  away,  and  the  young 
man  cursed  !  And  when  he  reached  Old  Town,  half 
dead  with  hunger,  he  was  worth  little  to  make  laugh 
ter,  though  the  honest  Indians  at  first  did  not  fail  to 
do  so,  and  thereby  somewhat  cheered  his  heart.  But 
as  the  days  went  on  they  wearied  of  him,  and,  life 
becoming  a  burden,  he  went  into  the  woods  and  slew 
himself.  And  the  evil  spirit  of  the  night-air,  even 
Bumole,1  or  Pamola,  from  whom  came  the  gift,  swooped 
down  from  the  clouds  and  bore  him  away  to  'Lahm- 
kekqu',  the  dwelling  place  of  darkness,  and  he  was  no 
more  heard  of  among  men. 

As  regards  the  destruction  of  the  giants  by  Gloos- 
kap,  it  may  be  observed  that  the  same  tradition  ex 
ists  among1  the  Six  Nations.  Cusick  tells  us  that 

O 

1  For  an  account  of  Bumole,  or  Pamola,  see  the  chapter  on 
Supernatural  Beings.  Bumole  seems  to  have  been  the  personi 
fication  of  the  night-hawk. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  73 

about  1250  years  before  Columbus  discovered  Amer 
ica  a  powerful  tribe  called  Otne-yar-heh,  that  is,  Stone 
Giants,  who  were  ravenous  cannibals,  overran  the 
country,  and  nearly  exterminated  the  inhabitants. 
These  Stone  Giants  practiced  themselves  in  rolling  on 
the  sand;  by  this  means  their  bodies  became  hard. 
Then  Tas-enyawa-gon,  the  Holder  of  the  Heavens, 
came  to  earth  as  a  giant,  and,  being  made  their  chief, 
led  them  into  a  hollow,  where  he  overwhelmed  them 
with  rocks.  Only  one  escaped  to  the  far  North.  The 
reader  will  recognize  in  these  the  Chenoos,  or  Ke% 
wahqti',  who  cover  themselves  with  pitch  and  roll  on 
the  ground.  But  no  one  can  deny  that,  while  that 
which  Cusick  narrates  has  much  in  common  with  the 
mythology  of  the  Wabanaki,  it  is  much  less  like  that 
of  the  Edda;  that  Indian  grotesqueness  has  in  it 
greatly  perverted  an  original ;  and  finally,  that  it  cer 
tainly  occupies  a  position  midway  between  the  mythol 
ogy  of  the  Northeastern  Algonquins  and  that  of  the 
Chippewas,  Ottawas,  and  other  Western  tribes.  Ex 
amination  shows  this  in  every  story.  Thus  the  Waba- 
riaki  warrior  makes  his  bow  infallible  in  aim  by  string 
ing  it  with  a  cord  made  of  his  sister's  hair.  This  is 
Norse,  as  it  was  of  old  Latin.  But  in  the  Iroquois 
the  young  man  "  adorns  his  arms  with  the  hairs  of 
his  sister."  Here  the  tradition  has  begun  to  weaken. 
It  may  be  interesting  to  visitors  to  Niagara  to  know 
that  the  army  of  Stone  Giants  crossed  the  river  dur 
ing  their  journey  just  below  the  Falls. 


74       THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

How  Glooskap  had  a  great  Frolic  ivith  Kitpooseagunow,  a 
Mighty  Giant  who  caught  a  Whale. 

(Micmac.) 

N'kah-nee-oo.  In  the  old  time  (P.)  Glooskap  came 
to  Pulewech  Munegoo  (M.,  Partridge  Island),  and 
here  he  met  with  Kitpooseagtmow,1  whose  mother  had 
been  slain  by  a  fearful  cannibal  giant.  And  it  was 
against  these  that  he  made  war  all  his  life  long,  as 
did  Glooskap.  Whence  it  came  to  pass  that  they 
loved  one  another,  which  did  not  at  all  hinder  them 
from  having  a  hearty  and  merry  encounter,  in  which 
they  missed  but  little  of  killing  one  or  the  other,  and 
all  in  the  best  natured  way  in  the  world. 

Now,  having  come  to  Pulewech  Munegoo,  the  lord 

1  Kitpooseagunoiv,  "  one  born  after  his  mother's  death,"  is  a 
magician-giant,  who  plays  in  the  Algonquin  mythology  a  part 
only  inferior  to  that  of  Glooskap,  whom  he  in  every  way  resem 
bles.  Both  are  benevolent,  both  make  war  on  wicked  sorcerers 
and  evil  wild  beasts,  and  both,  finally,  are  much  like  Gargantua 
and  Pantagruel  in  their  sense  of  humor.  They  are  sometimes 
made  the  heroes  of  the  same  adventure  in  different  stories.  The 
true  origin  of  the  name,  according  to  Mr.  Rand,  is  as  follows  : 
"  After  a  cow  moose  or  caribou  has  been  killed,  her  calf  is  some 
times  taken  out  alive,  and  reared  by  hand.  As  may  be  supposed, 
tlia  calf  is  very  easily  tamed.  The  animal  thus  born  is  called 
Kitpooseagunow,  and  from  this  a  verb  is  formed  which  denotes 
the  act."  —  Legends  of  the  Mic  Macs,  Old  Dominion  Monthly, 
1871. 

This  giant  was  also  called  the  Protector  of  the  Oppressed.  He 
probably  represents  the  Glooskap  myth  in  another  form. 


GLOOSKAP    AND    KEANKE    SPEARING    THE    WHALE. 


GLOOSKAP    THE  DIVINITY.  75 

of  men  and  beasts  was  entertained  by  Kitpooseagu- 
now.  And  when  the  night  came,  he  who  was  born 
after  his  mother's  death  said  to  his  guest,  "  Let  us  go 
011  the  sea  in  a  canoe  and  catch  whales  by  torchlight;" 
to  which  Glooskap,  nothing  loath,  consented,  for  he 
was  a  mighty  fisherman,  as  are  all  the  Wabanaki  of 
the  seacoast.1 

Now  when  they  came  to  the  beach  there  were  only 
great  rocks,  lying  here  and  there ;  but  Kitpoosea- 
gunow,  lifting  the  largest  of  these,  put  it  on  his  head, 
and  it  became  a  canoe.  And  picking  up  another,  it 
turned  to  a  paddle,  while  a  long  splinter  which  he 
split  from  a  ledge  seemed  to  be  a  spear.  Then  Gloos 
kap  asked,  "  Who  shall  sit  in  the  stern  and  paddle, 
and  who  will  take  the  spear  ? "  Kitpooseagunow 
said,  "  That  will  I."  So  Glooskap  paddled,  and  soon 
the  canoe  passed  over  a  mighty  whale ;  in  all  the  great 
sea  there  was  not  his  like ;  but  he  who  held  the  spear 
sent  it  like  a  thunderbolt  down  into  the  waters,  and  as 
the  handle  rose  again  to  sight  he  snatched  it  up,  and 
the  great  fish  was  caught.  And  as  Kitpooseagunow 
whirled  it  on  high,  the  whale,  roaring,  touched  the 
clouds.  Then  taking  him  from  the  point,  the  fisher 

1  Glooskap  would  seem  to  have  been  the  prototype  of  the 
giant  fisher  so  well  known  in  song  :  — 

"  His  rod  was  made  of  a  sturdy  oak, 
His  line,  a  cable,  in  storms  ne'er  broke  ; 
He  baited  his  hook  with  a  dragon's  tail, 
And  sat  on  a  rock  and  bobbed  for  whale. ' 

A  fabulous   monster,  apparently  identical  with   the    dragon,  is 

common  in  Micmac  stories. 


T6       THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

tossed  him  into  the  bark  as  if  he  had  been  a  trout. 
And  the  giants  laughed ;  the  sound  of  their  laughter 
was  heard  all  over  the  land  of  the  Wabanaki.  And 
being  at  home,  the  host  took  a  stone  knife  and  split 
the  whale,  and  threw  one  half  to  the  guest  Glooskap, 
and  they  roasted  each  his  piece  over  the  fire  and  ate  it. 
Now  the  Master,  having  marked  the  light,  which 
was  long  in  the  heaven  after  the  sun  went  down,  said, 
"  The  sky  is  red ;  we  shall  have  a  cold  night."  And 
his  host  understood  him  well,  and  saw  that  he  would 
make  it  cold  by  magic.  So  he  bade  Marten  bring  in 
all  the  fuel  he  could  find,  and  all  there  was  of  the  oil 
of  a  porpoise ;  and  this  oil  he  so  multiplied  by  magic 
that  there  was  ten  times  more  of  it.  And  they  sat 
them  down  and  smoked,  and  told  tales  of  old  times ; 
but  it  grew  ever  colder  and  colder.  And  at  midnight, 
when  all  was  burnt  out,  Marten  froze  to  death,  and 
then  the  grandmother,  but  the  two  giants  smoked  on, 
and  laughed  and  talked.  Then  the  rocks  out-of-doors 
split  with  the  cold,  the  great  trees  in  the  forest  split ; 
the  sound  thereof  was  as  thunder,  but  the  Master  and 
he  who  was  born  after  his  mother's  death  laughed  even 
louder.  And  so  they  sat  until  the  sun  rose.  Then 
Glooskap  said  to  the  dead  woman,  "  Noogume, 
numchahsc  !  "  (M.)  Grandmother,  arise  !  "  and  to  his 
boy,  "  Abistanooch  numchahsef  "  "  Marten,  arise  !  " 
and  they  arose,  and  went  about  their  work. 

And  the  morning  being  bright,  they  went  forth  far 
into  the  forest  to  find  game.  But  they  got  very  little, 
for  they  caught  only  one  small  beaver,  and  Glooskap 


GLOOSKAP    THE  DIVINITY.  11 

gave  up  his  share  of  this  to  Kitpooseagunow.  And 
he,  taking  the  skin,  fastened  it  to  his  garter,  whence 
it  dangled  like  the  skin  of  a  mouse  at  the  knee  of  a 
tall  man.  But  as  he  went  on  through  the  woods  the 
skin  grew  larger  and  larger  and  larger,  till  it  broke 
away  by  its  own  weight.  Then  the  giant  twisted  a 
mighty  sapling  into  a  withe,  and  fastened  it  around 
his  waist.  But  it  still  grew  apace  as  he  went  on,  till, 
trailing  after,  it  tore  down  all  the  forest,  pulling  away 
the  trees,  so  that  Kitpooseagunow  left  a  clean,  fair 
road  behind  him.1 

And  when  the  night  came  on  they  fished  again,  as 
they  had  done  before ;  and  again  it  was  said,  but  this 
time  by  the  host,  "  The  sky  is  red  ;  we  shall  have  a 
cold  night."  So  they  heaped  up  wood  more  than  the 
first  time,  but  now  it  was  far  colder.  And  soon  the 
boy  was  dead,  and  the  grandmother  also  lay  frozen. 
But  when  the  sun  rose  the  Master  brought  them  back 
to  life,  and,  bidding  good -by  to  Kitpooseagunow, 
went  his  way.2 

1  Many  of  these  stories  have  received  later  additions,  which 
can  be  detected  by  their  occurring  only  in  single  versions  of 
them.     In  the  story  of  Kitpooseagunow  (Rand's  manuscript)  the 
giants  arrive  at  a  "  large  town,"  and  go  to  a  "  store,"  where  they 
sell  the  skin  for  all  the  money,  goods,  houses,  and  lands  which 
the  merchant  possesses.    "  And  the  skin  was  so  heavy  that  it  took 
the  greater  part  of  the  day  to  weigh  it." 

2  It  is  possible  that  there  is  a  version  of  this  story  in  which 
Glooskap  kills  his  friend  with  frost,  and  then  revives  him.     In 
one  story  it  is  a  frozen  stream,  incarnate  as  a  man,  which  attempts 
in  vain  to  freeze  Glooskap. 

The  extraordinary  manner  in  which  host  and  guest,  or  even 


78  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

The  most  striking  feature,  however,  of  this  legend 
is  its  Norse-like  breadth  or  grandeur  and  its  genial 
humor,  which  are  very  remarkable  characteristics  for 
the  fictions  of  savages.  Its  resemblance  to  the  Scan 
dinavian  tales  is,  if  accidental,  very  remarkable.  The 
two  heroes  are,  like  Thor  and  Odin,  giant  heroes  who 
make  war  on  Jotuns  and  Trolls;  that  is,  giant-like 
sorcerers.  It  is  their  profession ;  they  live  in  it.  No 
one  can  read  Beowulf  without  being  struck  by  the 
great  resemblance  between  Grendel,  the  hideous,  semi- 
human  night  prowler,  and  the  Kewahqu',  a  precisely 
similar  monster,  who  rises  from  the  depths  of  waters 
to  wantonly  murder  man.  I  do  not  recall  any  two 
beings  in  any  other  two  disconnected  mythologies  so 
strangely  similar.  The  fishing  for  the  whale  recalls 
that  which  is  told  in  the  Older  Edda  (Hymiskvida, 
21),  where  Hymir  succeeds  in  hooking  two  of  these 
fish :  - 

"  Then  he  and  Hymir  rowed  out  to  sea.  Thor 
rowed  oft  with  two  oars,  and  so  powerfully  that  the 
giant  was  obliged  to  acknowledge  they  were  speeding 
very  fast.  He  himself  rowed  at  the  prow ." 

If  the  reader  will  compare  this  account  of  the 
Edda  with  the  Micmac  story,  he  cannot  fail  to  be 
struck  with  the  great  resemblance  between  them.  It 

intimate  friends,  endeavor  to  kill  one  another  in  the  most  good- 
natured  rivalry,  is  of  constant  occurrence  in  the  Eskimo  legends. 
It  is  not  infrequent  among  our  own  backwoods  or  frontier-men. 

The  stone-canoe  occurs  in  Eskimo  legends  (vide  Rink),  as  it 
does  in  those  of  all  American  Indians. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  79 

is  even  specified  in  both  that  the  hero,  though  a  guest, 
paddles.  And  in,  both  instances  the  host  catches  a 
whale.  Now  compare  with  this  the  legend  of  Mano- 
bozho-Hiawatha,  who  merely  catches  the  great  sun- 
fish,  and  is  swallowed  by  it.  Does  it  not  seem  as  if 
the  Western  Indians  had  here  borrowed  from  the 
Micmacs,  and  the  Micmacs  from  the  Norse  ?  Whether 
this  was  done  directly  or  through  the  Eskimo  is  as  yet 
a  problem.  It  may  also  be  noted  that  both  in  the 
Edda  and  in  the  Micmac  story,  it  is  declared  that  one 
of  the  giants  picked  up  the  boat  and  carried  it. 

It  may  be  observed  that  most  of  these  Indian  tra 
ditions  were  originally  poems.  It  is  probable  that  all 
were  sung,  while  they  still  retained  the  character  of 
serious  mythical  or  sacred  narrative.  Now  they  are 
in  the  transition  state  of  heroic  tales.  But  they  un 
questionably  still  retain  many  passages  of  very  great 
antiquity,  and  it  is  not  impossible  that  Eskimo  and 
even  Norse  songs  are  still  preserved  in  them.  In  this 
tale  the  following  coincidences  with  passages  in  the 
Elder  Edda  (Hymiskvida)  are  remarkable.  In  both 
the  host  asks  his  guest  to  go  with  him  to  catch 
whales,  to  which  the  latter  assents. 

"  '  We  three  to-morrow  night 
Shall  be  compelled 
On  what  we  catch  to  live.' 
Thor  said  he  would 
On  the  sea  row." 

Kitpooseagunow  picks  up  the  heavy  canoe,  with  its 
oars  and  a  spear,  and  carries  them. 


80       THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

"  Thor  went, 
grasped  the  prow 
quickly  with  its  hold-water, 
lifted  the  boat 
together  with  its  oars 
and  scoop  ; 
bore  to  the  dwelling 
the  curved  vessel." 

Glooskap  asks  which  of  the  two  shall  take  the  paddle, 
and  which  sit  in  the  stern.     Hyinir  inquires,  — 
"  Wilt  thou  do 

half  the  work  with  me  ? 

either  the  whales 

home  to  the  dwelling  bear, 

Or  the  boat 

fast  bind  ?  " 

Kitpooseagunow  drew  up  a  whale. 

"  The  mighty  Hymir, 
He  alone 
two  whales  drew 
up  with  his  hook." 

After  this  whale-fishing,  the  Scandinavian  giants  at 
home  have  a  trial  of  strength  and  endurance.     Thor 
throws  a  cup  at  Hymir.     This  cup  can  only  be  broken 
on  Hymir's  head,  which  is  of  ice,  and  intensely  hard. 
"  That  is  harder 
than  any  cup." 

This  is  therefore  an  effort  on  the  part  of    Thor  to 
overcome  Cold.     Hymir  is  the  incarnation  of  Cold 

itself. 

"  The  icebergs  resounded 

as  the  churl  approached  ; 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  81 

the  thicket  on  his  cheeks 
was  frozen. 

In  shivers  flew  the  pillars 
At  the  Jotun's  glance." 

That  is,  the  frost  cracks  the  stones  and  rocks.  In 
the  Indian  tale  the  two  giants  try  to  see  which  can 
freeze  the  other.  In  both  there  is  distinctly  a  con 
test.  In  the  Norse  tale  Strength  or  Heat  rights  Frost ; 
in  the  American,  Frost  is  battled  with  by  Frost  as  a 
rival. 

It  may  be  observed  that  the  Indian  tale  is  far  from 
being  perfect,  and  that  in  all  probability  the  whole  of 
it  includes  a  fishing  for  the  sea-serpent. 

It  is  plainly  set  forth  in  the  Edda  that  Cold  may 
be  overcome  by  a  magic  spell.  Thus  Groa  (Grou- 
galdr,  12)  promises  her  son  a  rune  to  effect  this  :  — 

"  A  seventh  (charm)  I  will  sing  thee  : 
If  on  a  mountain  high 
frost  should  assail  thee, 
deadly  cold  shall  not 
thy  body  injure, 
nor  draw  it  to  thy  lirnbs." 

How  Glooskap  made  a  Magician  of  a  Young  Man,  who 

aided  another  to  win  a  Wife  and  do  Wonderful  Deeds. 

(Micmac.) 

It  is  well  known  unto  all  Indians  who  still  keep  the 
true  faith  of  the  olden  time  that  there  are  wondrous 
dwellers  in  the  lonely  woods,  such  as  elves  and  fairies, 
called  by  the  Micmacs  Mikumwessos,  and  by  the 
Passamaquoddies  Oonahgemessos.  And  these  can 


82  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

work  great  wonders,  and  also  sing  so  as  to  charm 
the  wildest  beasts.  From  them  alone  come  the  magic 
pipes  or  flutes,  which  sometimes  pass  into  possession 
of  noted  sorcerers  and  great  warriors ;  and  when  these 
are  played  upon,  the  woman  who  hears  the  melody  is 
bewitched  with  love,  and  the  moose  and  caribou  follow 
the  sound  even  to  their  death.  And  when  the  Megu- 
mawessos  are  pleased  with  a  mortal  they  make  him 
a  fairy,  even  like  themselves. 

N^Karnayoo.  In  old  times  there  was  an  Indian 
village,  and  in  it  were  two  young  men,1  who  had  heard 
that  Glooskap,  ere  he  left  the  world,  would  bestow  on 
those  who  came  to  him  whatever  they  wanted.  So 
they  went  their  way,  an  exceeding  long  pilgrimage, 
until  they  came  to  a  great  island,  where  he  dwelt. 
And  there  they  first  met  with  Dame  Bear  and  Marten, 
and  next  with  the  Master  himself.  Then  they  all, 
sitting  down  to  supper,  had  placed  before  them  only 
one  extremely  small  dish,  and  on  this  there  was  a 
tiny  bit  of  meat,  and  nothing  more.  But  being  a  bold 
and  jolly  fellow,  the  first  of  the  pilgrims,  thinking 
himself  mocked  for  sport,  cut  off  a  great  part  of  the 
meat,  and  ate  it,  when  that  which  was  in  the  dish 
grew  in  a  twinkling  to  its  former  size;  and  so  this 
went  on  all  through  the  supper,  every  one  eating  his 
fill,  the  dish  at  the  end  being  as  full  as  ever. 

Of   these   two,   one  wished   to   become  a  Mikum- 

1  According  to  another  Micmac  version  of  this  legend,  the 
elder  of  these  pilgrims  was  Keekwahjoo,  the  Badger,  and  the 
younger  Caktoogwasees,  or  Little  Thunder. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  83 

wess,  and  the  other  to  win  a  very  beautiful  girl,  the 
daughter  of  a  great  chief,  who  imposed  such  cruel 
tasks  on  all  who  came  for  her,  that  they  died  in  at 
tempting  them. 

And  the  first  was  taken  by  Glooskap  ;  and  after  he 
had  by  a  merry  trick  covered  him  with  filth  and  put 
him  to  great  shame,  he  took  him  to  the  river,  and  after 
washing  ^him  clean  and  combing  his  hair  gave  him  a 
change  of  raiment  and  a  hair  string  of  exceeding 
great  magic  virtue,  since  when  he  had  bound  it  on  he 
became  a  Mikumwess,  having  all  the  power  of  the 
elfin-world.  And  also  because  he  desired  to  excel 
in  singing  and  music,  the  Master  gave  him  a  small 
pipe,  and  it  was  that  which  charmed  all  living  beings; 1 
and  then  singing  a  song  bade  him  join  in  with  him. 
And  doing  this  he  found  that  he  could  sing,  and  ever 
after  had  a  wondrous  voice. 

Now  to  seek  the  beautiful  girl  it  was  necessary  to 
sail  afar  over  the  sea  ;  and  during  this  adventure  the 
Mikumwess  was  charged  to  take  care  of  the  younger 
pilgrim.  So  he  begged  the  Master  to  lend  him  his 
canoe.  And  Glooskap  answered,  "  Yes,  I  will  do  this 
for  thee,  if  thou  wilt  honestly  return  it  when  thou 
needest  it  no  more.  Yet  in  very  truth  I  did  never 

1  The  identity  of  these  incidents  with  those  of  "  classic  "  times 
is  worth  noting.  There  is  a  lustration  and  the  clothing  the 
neophyte  in  a  new  garment,  and  he  receives  the  magic  fillet,  as 
in  the  Mysteries  of  the  old  world.  Nor  is  the  resemblance  of  the 
pipe  to  that  of  Orpheus  less  striking.  In  many  respects  this  is 
the  most  remarkable  old  Indian  myth  I  have  ever  met  with. 


84  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

yet  lend  it  to  mortal  man  but  that  I  had  to  go  after 
it  myself."  l 

Thereupon  the  young  man  promised  most  faithfully 
that  he  would  indeed  return  the  canoe,  and  with  this 
they  got  them  ready  for  the  journey.  But  when  they 
came  to  the  bay  there  was  no  canoe,  and  they  knew 
not  what  was  to  be  done.  But  Glooskap  pointed  to  a 
small  island  of  granite  which  rose  amid  the  waves, 
and  it  was  covered  with  tall  pine-trees.  "There  is 
my  canoe  !  "  said  he  ;  2  and  when  he  had  taken  them 
unto  it,  it  became  a  real  canoe,  with  masts,  and  they 
set  sail  on  it,  rejoicing. 

So  they  came  in  time  to  a  very  large  island,  where 
they  drew  up  the  canoe  and  hid  it  in  the  bushes. 
Then  they  went  forward  to  seek  for  people,  and  found 

1  One  of  the  traits  of  bonhomie  and  common  humanity  which 
continually  occur  in  the  Glooskap  tales,  even  in  the  most  serious 
situations  and  solemn  myths.     In  this  respect  the  resemblance 
of  the  Northwest  Algonquin  tales  to  the  Norse  is  truly  strik 
ing.     The  canoe  is  among  all  Indians,  even  in  Central  America, 
exactly  what  the  umbrella  is  in  civilized  society.     With  all  his 
immense  originality  Glooskap  had  a  number  of  "  old  Joes,"  of 
which  he  never  seems  to  have  tired.     One  was  the  inexhaustible 
dish,  and  another  the  giant  skunk  set  upon  end  to  salute  his  vis 
itors,  and  this  of  the  canoe  was  probably  the  commonest  of  all. 
He  is  a  true  Indian  divinity,  shining  like  the  lightning  and  striking 
only  when  there  is  a  storm,  but  appearing  like  the  Aurora  Bo- 
realis,  or  even  the  Robin  Goodfellow-Will-o'-the-Wisp  at  others. 

2  Another   standard  "  piece    of   witt "   with   the    incorrigible 
joker.     Glooskap's  "  floating  island  "  was  served  up  as  a  dessert 
to  all  guests,  and  I  doubt  not  that  if  the  double  meaning  of  the 
word  had  been  known  to  him,  they  would  have  had  that  too. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  85 

a  village  in  which  dwelt  the  chief  who  had  the  beauti 
ful  daughter,  in  seeking  whom  so  many  had  lost  their 
lives. 

And  having  found  him,  they  went  into  his  wigwam, 
and  were  placed  on  the  seat  of  honor.  Now  when  an 
Indian  seeks  a  wife,  he  or  his  mutual  friend  makes 
no  great  ado  about  it,  but  utters  two  words,  which  tell 
the  whole  story.  And  these  are  Sewin-coadoo-gwah- 
looywet\  wiiich  mean  in  Micmac,  "  I  am  tired  of  liv 
ing  alone."  And  the  chief,  hearing  this,  consented 
that  the  young  man  should  marry  her  whom  he 
sought,  but  on  one  condition :  and  this  was  that  he 
should  slay  and  bring  unto  him  the  head  of  a,  certain 
horned  dragon,  called  in  Micmac  Chepichcalm.1  So 
this  was  agreed  upon,  and  the  two  strangers  went  to 
the  wigwam  which  was  assigned  them. 

Now  in  the  night  he  that  was  Mikumwess  arose  and 
went  alone  and  afar  until  he  came  to  the  den  of  the 
dragon,  and  this  was  a  great  hole  in  the  ground.  And 
over  this  he  laid  a  mighty  log,  and  then  began  the 
magic  dance  around  the  den.  So  the  serpent,  or  the 
great  Chepichcalm,  hearing  the  call,  came  forth,  put 
ting  out  his  head  after  the  manner  of  snakes,  wav 
ing  it  all  about  in  every  way  and  looking  round  him. 

1  Vide  "  Supernatural  Beings."  The  Chepichcalm  (M.)  is  an 
immense  horned  serpent  or  wingless  dragon.  It  is  probably 
identical  with  the  Wiwillmekq'  (P.  and  Pen.),  which  is  a  singu 
lar  horned  worm  found  on  trees  or  by  water.  It  is  believed  to 
be  capable  of  assuming  a  vast  size  and  to  be  gifted  with  super 
natural  powers. 


86  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

While  doing  this  he  rested  his  neck  upon  the  log,  when 
the  Indian  with  a  blow  of  his  hatchet  severed  it.  Then 
taking  the  head  by  one  of  the  shining  yellow  horns  he 
bore  it  to  his  friend,  who  in  the  morning  gave  it  to 
the  chief.  And  the  old  man  said  to  himself,  "  This 
time  I  fear  me  I  shall  lose  my  child." 

Yet  the  young  man  had  more  to  do ;  for  the  chief 
said,  "  I  would  fain  see  my  son  coast  down  yonder 
hill  on  a  hand-sled."  Now  this  hill  was  an  exceed 
ing  high  mountain ;  the  sides  thereof  were  ragged 
with  rocks  and  terrible  with  trees  and  ice.  Then 
two  toboggins l  were  brought  out,  one  of  them  for 
the  two  "strangers,  and  this  he  that  was  Mikumwess 
was  to  direct.  And  on  the  other  were  two  powerful 
men,  and  these  were  both  boo-oinak,2  who  hoped  to 
see  the  former  soon  fall  out,  and  then  to  run  over 
them.  And  at  the  word  they  went  flying  fearfully 
down  the  mountain,  and  yet  ever  faster,  as  if  to 
death.  And  soon  he  that  sought  the  girl  went  whirl 
ing  headlong  from  the  sled,  and  the  two  boo-oinak 
gave  a  loud  hurrah  ;  for  they  knew  not  that  this  had 
been  done  with  intent  by  the  Mikumwess,  that  he 
might  get  them  before  him.  So  he  put  forth  his 
hand,  and,  seizing  the  younger  man,  turned  a  little 
aside,  but  in  an  instant  went  on  after ;  and  erelong 
the  sled  of  the  boo-oinak  stopped,  but  the  other, 
bounding  upwards  from  a  mighty  wall  of  ice,  flew  far 

1  Toboggin  :  a  sled  or  sledge. 

2  Magicians,  the  original  of  pow-wow-in.     It  is  apparently  the 
same  in  meaning  as  the  angakok  of  the  neighboring  Eskimo. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  87 

over  their  heads  onwards ;  nor  did  it  stop  in  the  val 
ley,  but,  running  with-  tremendous  speed  up  the  op 
posite  hill  and  into  the  village,  struck  the  side  of  the 
chief's  wigwam,  ripping  it  up  from  end  to  end  ere  it 
stopped.  And  the  old  man,  seeing  this,  said,  "  This 
time  I  have  lost  my  daughter  !  " 

Yet  the  young  man  had  more  to  do ;  for  the  chief 
said,  "  There  is  here  a  man  who  has  never  been 
beaten  in  running,  and  thou  must  strive  with  him 
in  that  and  overcome  him,  to  win  thy  wife."  And 
the  race  was  appointed ;  but  ere  it  came  off  he  that 
was  Mikumwess  lent  to  his  friend  the  magic  pipe  to 
give  him  power.1  And  when  he  that  was  the  racer 
of  the  village  met  the  young  man,  the  youth  said, 
"  Who  art  thou  ?  "  and  he  replied,  "  I  am  Wey-ad- 
esk "  (the  Northern  Lights,  M.) ;  "  but  who  art 
thou  ?  "  And  he  answered,  "  I  am  Wosogwodesk  " 
(the  Chain  Lightning).  And  they  ran.  In  an  in 
stant  they  were  no  longer  in  sight ;  they  were  far 
away  over  the  most  distant  hills.  Then  all  sat  and 
waited,  and  ere  it  was  noon  he  that  was  the  Chain 
Lightning  returned,  and  he  was  not  out  of  breath, 
nor  weary,  and  he  had  gone  round  the  world.  And 
at  evening  they  saw  the  Northern  Lights  return,  and 
he  trembled  and  quivered  with  fatigue ;  yet  for  all 

1  It  may  be  observed  that  Indian  magic  depends  on  fetich,  or 
objects  having  innate  power.  Glooskap  himself  relies  on  his 
belt,  and  when  he  lends  it  to  Marten,  the  boy  becomes  "  mani- 
too,"  as  the  more  Western  Indians  term  it.  There  is  in  the 
early  red  Indian  mythology  really  no  God  ;  only  more  or  less 
powerful  magicians. 


88       THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

that  lie  had  not  been  round  the  world,  but  had  turned 
back.  And  the  old  chief,  seeing  him  beaten,  ex 
claimed,  "  This  time  I  shall  lose  my  child  !  " 

And  yet  there  was  another  trial  of  the  young  man 
ere  he  could  win  her  whom  he  wanted.  For  the 
chief  had  a  man  whom  no  one  could  overcome  in 
swimming  and  diving,  and  it  was  chiefly  in  this  last 
thing  that  he  excelled.  And  the  young  man  must 
strive  with  him.  And  when  they  met  he  asked  the 
man  of  the  village  his  name,  and  he  replied,  u  I  am 
an  Ukddgumooech  "  (a  Sea  Duck,  M.)  ;  "  but  who 
are  you  ?  "  And  he  answered,  "  I  am  a  IZweemoo  " 
(a  Loon,  M.).  So  they  dived,  and  after  a  time  the 
Sea  Duck  rose  again  for  breath,  but  those  who  waited 
waited  long  indeed  ere  they  saw  the  Loon.  And  an 
hour  passed,  and  he  came  not,  and  yet  another  ere  they 
beheld  him ;  but  when  he  at  last  rose  the  old  chief 
said,  "  This  is  the  end  of  all  our  weary  work,  for 
this  time  truly  I  have  lost  my  child." 

Yet  it  was  not  the  end  of  the  wonderful  deeds 
which  were  done  in  that  village  by  the  power  of  the 
great  Glooskap.  For  the  Mikumwess,  at  the  great 
dance  which  was  held  that  evening  at  the  wedding, 
astonished  all  who  beheld  him.  As  he  danced  around 
the  circle,  upon  the  very  hard  beaten  floor,  they  saw 
his  feet  sink  deeper  at  every  step,  and  ever  deeper  as 
the  dance  went  on ;  ploughing  the  ground  up  into 
high,  uneven  ridges,  forming  a  trench  as  he  went, 
until  at  length  only  his  head  was  to  be  seen.1  And 

1  This  is  very  characteristic  of  the  true  magician,  both  in  the 


GLOOSKAP    THE  DIVINITY.  89 

this  ended  the  dancing  for  that  night,  since  the  ground 
was  no  longer  to  be  danced  upon  by  anybody  except 
wizards  and  witches. 

Then  the  young  man  and  his  wife  and  the  Mikum- 
wess  entered  their  canoe  and  sailed  boosijk  (home 
wards,  M.).  And  yet  their  trials  were  not  over.1  For 
they  had  not  gone  far  ere  they  saw  an  awful  storm 
coming  to  meet  them ;  and  he  that  had  the  Elfin 
spells  knew  that  it  was  raised  by  boo-oin,  or  sorcery, 
since  these  storms  are  the  worst  of  all.  Then,  with 
out  fear,  he  rose,  and,  filling  his  lungs  and  puffing 
his  cheeks,  he  blew  against  the  tempest,  wind  against 
wind,  until  he  blew  the  wind  away,  and  the  great 
water  was  aoobuneak\  as  calm  and  smooth  as  be 
fore. 

So  they  sailed  on  over  the  sunlit  sea,  but  it  was 
not  long  before  the  Elf-gifted  saw  rising  among  the 

Algonquin  and  Eskimo  folk-lore.  "  The  angakok"  or  sorcerer 
of  Greenland,  "  after  meeting  with  tomarsuk,  or  guardian  spirits, 
sometimes  manifested  it  by  his  feet  sinking  into  the  rocky  ground 
fust  as  if  into  snoiv."  (Rink.)  This  phrase  indicates  the  Northern 
origin  of  the  idea,  which  occurs  in  many  Indian  stories.  I  have 
been  assured  in  all  faith  that  there  is  a  Passamaquoddy  m'te'ou- 
lin,  or  sorcerer,  now  living,  who  can  walk  up  to  his  knees  in  a 
floor  or  in  the  paved  street,  and  an  honest  and  trustworthy  In 
dian  assured  me  that  he  had  seen  him  do  it. 

1  These  subsequent  trials  were  not  inflicted  by  the  old  chief, 
but  were,  as  appears  by  comparison  with  other  legends,  simply 
jokes  played  by  the  incorrigible  Glooskap.  It  is  most  probable 
that  in  its  original  form  this  remarkable  myth  was  all  maya,  or 
illusion,  and  the  whole  a  series  of  illusions,  caused  by  the  arch- 
conjurer,  typifying  natural  phenomena. 


90  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

waves  far  before  them  a  dark  mass,  which  soon  proved 
to  be  a  tremendous  beast  coming  to  attack  them.  And 
as  he  drew  near  they  saw  it  was  Quahbeet,  the  giant 
beaver,  and  his  eyes  were  angry.1  But  the  Mikum- 
wess,  seeing  this,  steered  straight  to  meet  the  monster, 
and,  coming  to  him,  said,  "  I  am  the  great  hunter  of 
beavers ;  lo,  I  am  their  butcher  ;  many  a  one  has 
fallen  by  my  hand."  2  Now  the  Beaver  had  placed 
himself  under  water,  with  his  tail  out  of  it  and  rising 
upwards,  that  he  might  sink  the  canoe  with  a  blow 
thereof ;  for  the  Beaver  strikes  mightily  in  such  wise, 
as  is  his  wont.  But  he  of  the  magic  power,  with  one 
blow  of  his  tomahawk,  cut  the  tail  from  the  body,  and 
sailed  onward. 

Yet  they  had  not  gone  far  ere,  on  rounding  a 
point,  they  saw  before  them  another  animal  of  giant 
size,  who  likewise  had  his  tail  in  the  air,  waiting  to 
overcome  them,  and  this  was  A-bekk-thee-lo  (M.), 
the  Skunk.  Yet  ere  he  made  his  hideous  attack  the 
Mikumwess,  ever  on  the  watch,  caught  up  his  spear, 
and,  hurling  it,  pierced  A-bekk-thee-lo,  who  did  but 
kick  two  or  three  times  ere  he  died.  And,  stepping 
ashore,  he  who  had  slain  him  took  a  pole,  a  long  dead 
pine,  which  lay  upon  the  sand,  and,  transfixing  the 
Skunk,  lifted  him  high  in  air,  and,  planting  the  tree 

1  From  the  beginning,  when  Quahbeetsis,  the  son  of  the  Beaver, 
inspired  Malsumsis  with  hatred  of  Glooskap,  this  quadruped  ap 
pears  as  an  enemy. 

2  This  is  oddly  like  the  speech  of  the  beaver-killer  in  The 
Hunting  of  the  Snark. 


GLOOSKAP    THE  DIVINITY.  91 

on  the  ground,  left  him,  saying  scornfully,  as  he  left, 
"  Lik  cho  je  nain!"  which,  being  interpreted,  mean- 
eth,  "  And  now  show  your  tail  there  !  "  1 

So  they  returned  safely.  And  Glooskap  met  them 
at  the  landing,  and  his  first  words  were,  "  Well,  my 
friends,  I  see  that  you  have  brought  back  my  canoe." 
And  they  answered,  "  We  have,  indeed."  Then  he 
inquired,  "  Has  all  gone  well  with  ye  ?  "  And  they 
replied  that  it  had.  Then  Glooskap,  laughing,  let 
them  know  that  in  all  they  had  experienced  he  had 
been  busy,  and  that  in  all  their  triumphs  he  had  had 
a  hand.  And  to  the  Mikumwess  he  said,  "  Go  now 
thy  ways,  thou  and  these,  and  ever  lead  happy  lives : 
thou  amid  the  Elfin,  they  among  mankind.  And  be 
sure  of  this,  that  if  danger  or  trouble  should  come 
to  you,  you  have  but  to  think  of  me,  and  verily  aid 
will  come.  So  they  rose  and  went  to  their  wigwams.2 

1  The  Skunk  is  here  a  parody  on  the  Beaver. 

2  In  its  earlier  form  this  must  have  been  a  very  remarkable 
narrative,  or  poem.     That  the  two  combatants  in  the  race  were 
originally  the  personified  Northern  Lights  and  Lightning,  and 
that  these  were  not  merely  names  assumed  for  boasting,  is  shown 
by  the  incident  that  the  Lightning  actually  passed  round  the  world, 
while  the  Aurora  Borealis  only  covered  a  portion  of  it.     The 
diving  is  either  a  later  addition,  or  it  represents  the  same  stu 
pendous  spirits  taking  on  the  appearance  of  mastering  the  ele 
ment  of  water  as  well  as  that  of  fire.  Without  carrying  the  Solar 
myth  theory  to  extremes,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  Glooskap  ap 
pears  in  several  of  these  stories  as  Spring,  or  as  the  melter  of  ice, 
the  conqueror  of  the  frozen  stream  and  of  the  iceberg.     In  this 
narrative  he  is  active  and  creative  Nature  itself,  directing  and 
sporting  with  the  warring  elements.     His  vast  practical  joking 


92  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

How  a  Certain  Wicked  Witch  sought  to  cajole  the  Great 

and  Good  Glooskap,  and  of  her  Punishment. 

(Micmac.) 

N'lcarnayoo,  of  old  time.  Once  it  came  to  pass 
that  Glooskap  met  with  an  evil  witch,  and  she  had 
made  herself  like  unto  a  fair  young  girl,  and  believed 
that  he  could  not  know  who  she  was.  And  she  asked 
him  to  take  her  with  him  in  his  canoe.  So  they  sailed 
out  over  a  summer  sea :  and  as  they  went  the  witch 

cannot  fail  to  remind  the  reader  yet  again  of  the  Norse  deities 
and  their  jovial  household  godhood. 

This  tradition  is  Micmac,  and  taken  almost  entirely  from  Mr. 
Rand's  manuscript.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  it  is  not 
from  a  single  story  of  this  collection,  but  from  a  careful  analysis 
and  comparison  of  them  all,  that  their  entire  value  is  to  be  as 
certained. 

Certain  incidents  in  this  tale  deserve  special  attention.  The 
young  men  go  to  a  land  of  evil  sorcerers,  of  boo-oin.  When  one 
is  required  to  run  a  race  he  conquers  because  he  is  really  the 
Lightning.  When  Thor  visits  Utgard  Loki,  there  is  also  a  race, 
in  which  Hugi  wins,  because  he  is  Thought  disguised  as  a  man. 
Glooskap  has  a  canoe,  which  is  sometimes  immensely  large,  but 
which  at  other  times  shrinks  to  a  very  small  size.  In  the  Edda, 
Odin  is  said  to  have  had  made  for  him  by  the  dwarfs  a  boat, 
Skidbladuir,  which,  like  Glooskap's  bark,  expanded  or  dimin 
ished.  Sigurd,  in  the  New  Edda,  is  obliged  to  kill  a  dragon, 
and  it  is  very  remarkable  that  he  does  it  by  a  special  previous 
preparation.  That  is  to  say,  he  digs  a  little  ditch,  and  when  the 
dragon  crawls  over  it  the  hero  pierces  him  with  his  sword.  In 
this  story  the  Indian  lays  a  log  over  the  dragon's  hole,  to  enable 
him  to  chop  his  head  off.  The  dragon,  or  horned  snake,  is  an 
old-time  tradition  in  America,  or  pre-Columbian. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  93 

sought  to  beguile  him  with  sweet  words  ;  but  he  an 
swered  naught,  for  he  wist  well  what  kind  of  passenger 
he  had  on  board.  And  as  they  went  on  she  played  her 
cajoleries,  but  he  remained  grim  as  a  bear.  Then 
she,  being  angry,  showed  it,  and  there  arose  a  great 
storm.  The  wind  howled  over  the  waves  as  they 
rose  and  fell,  like  white  wolves  jumping  while  they 
run,  the  first  lightnings  flashed,  and  the  sky  grew 
dark  as  night.  The  Master  was  angered  that  so  mean 
a  creature  dared  to  play  him  such  tricks,  and,  pad 
dling  the  canoe  to  the  beach,  he  leaped  ashore.  Then 
giving  the  bark,  with  the  witch  in  it,  a  push  out  to 
sea,  he  cried  to  her,  "  Sail  thou  with  the  devil !  But 
never  be  in  human  form  again,  O  she-beast ! ' 

Then  she,  being  frightened,  said,  "Master,  what 
wilt  thou  that  I  become  ?  "  And  he  replied,  "  What 
ever  thou  wilt ;  that  grace  alone  I  give  thee."  And 
in  despair  she  plunged  into  the  waters,  and  became  a 
keegunibe,  a  ferocious  fish,  which  has  upon  its  back  a 
great  fin,  which  it  shows  like  a  sail  when  swimming 
through  the  water.  So  the  canoe  and  the  witch  be 
came  one  in  the  evil  fish,  and  the  Indians  to  this  day 
when  they  see  it,  cry,  "  See  the  witch,  who  was  pun 
ished  by  the  great  Master  !  " 

Now  of  sinful  men,  evil  beasts,  foul  sorcerers, 
witches,  and  giants,  there  were  in  those  days  many 
who  sought  to  do  great  harm  to  Glooskap  ;  but  of 
them  all  there  did  not  escape  any ;  verily,  no,  not  one.1 

1  A  Micinac  story,  from  the  Rand  manuscript.  I  believe  that 
the  fish  here  spoken  of  is  a  shark. 


94  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Of  other  Men  who  ivent  to  Gloosliap  for  Gifts. 
(Micmac.) 

N'karnayoo:  wood-enit-atokliagcn  Glooskap.  Of 
the  old  times :  this  is  a  story  of  Glooskap.  Now 
there  went  forth  many  men  unto  Glooskap,  hearing 
that  they  could  win  the  desires  of  their  hearts ;  and  all 
got  what  they  asked  for,  in  any  case ;  but  as  for  hav 
ing  what  they  wanted,  that  depended  on  the  wisdom 
with  which  they  wished  or  acted. 

The  good  Glooskap  liked  it  not  that  when  he  had 
told  any  one  evenly  and  plainly  what  to  do,  that  man 
should  then  act  otherwise,  or  double  with  him.  And 
it  came  to  pass  that  a  certain  fool,  of  the  kind  who 
can  do  nothing  unless  it  be  in  his  own  way,  made  a 
long  journey  to  the  Master.  And  his  trials  were  in 
deed  many.  For  he  came  to  an  exceeding  high  moun 
tain  in  a  dark  and  lonely  land,  where  he  heard  110 
sound.  And  the  ascent  thereof  was  like  a  smooth 
pole,  and  the  descent  on  the  other  side  far  worse,  for 
it  hung  over  the  bottom.  Yet  it  was  worse  beyond, 
for  there  the  road  lay  between  the  heads  of  two  huge 
serpents,  almost  touching  each  other,  who  darted  their 
terrible  tongues  at  those  who  went  between.  And  yet 
again  the  path  passed  under  the  Wall  of  Death.  Now 
this  wall  hung  like  an  awful  cloud  over  a  plain,  rising 
and  falling  at  times,  yet  no  man  knew  when.  And 
when  it  fell  it  struck  the  ground,  and  that  so  as  to 
crush  all  that  was  beneath  it. 

But  the  young  man  escaped  all  these  trials,  and 


GLOOSKAP  THE  DIVINITY.        95 

came  to  the  island  of  the  Great  Master.  And  when 
he  had  dwelt  there  a  certain  time,  and  was  asked 
what  he  would  have,  he  replied,  "  If  my  lord  will, 
let  him  give  me  a  medicine  which  will  cure  all  dis 
ease."  More  than  this  he  asked  not.  So  the  Mas 
ter  gave  him  a  certain  small  package,  and  said, 
"  Herein  is  that  which  thou  seekest ;  but  I  charge 
thee  that  thou  lettest  not  thine  eyes  behold  it  until 
thou  shalt  reach  thy  home."  So  he  thanked  the  Mas 
ter,  and  left. 

But  he  was  not  far  away  ere  he  desired  to  open 
the  package  and  test  the  medicine,  and,  yet  more,  the 
truth  of  the  Master.  And  he  said  to  himself,  "  Truly, 
if  this  be  but  a  deceit  it  was  shrewdly  devised  to  bid 
me  not  open  it  till  I  returned.  For  he  knew  well 
that  once  so  far  I  would  make  no  second  journey  to 
him.  Tush!  if  the  medicine  avail  aught  it  cannot 
change  in  aught."  So  he  opened  it,  when  that 
which  was  therein  fell  to  the  ground,  and  spread  it 
self  like  water  everywhere,  and  then  dried  away  like 
a  mist.  And  when  he  returned  and  told  his  tale,  men 
mocked  him. 

Then  again  there  were  three  brothers,  who,  having 
adventured,  made  known  their  wishes.  Now  the  first 
was  very  tall,  far  above  all  his  fellows,  and  vain  of 
his  comeliness.  For  he  was  of  those  who  put  bark  or 
fur  into  their  moccasins,  that  they  may  be  looked  up 
to  by  the  little  folk  and  be  loved  by  the  squaws  ;  and 
his  hair  was  plastered  to  stand  up  on  high,  and  on  the 
summit  of  it  was  a  very  long  turkey-tail  feather.  And 


96  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

this  man  asked  to  become  taller  than  any  Indian  in 
all  the  land.1 

And  the  second  wished  that  he  might  ever  remain 
where  he  was  to  behold  the  land  and  the  beauty  of  it, 
and  to  do  naught  else. 

And  the  third  wished  to  live  to  an  exceeding  old 
age,  and  ever  to  be  in  good  Leitlth. 

Now  the  three,  when  they  came  to  the  island,  had 
found  there  three  wigwams,  and  in  two  of  these  were 
dwellers,  not  spoken  of  in  other  traditions.  In  one 
lived  Cool-puj-ot,  a  very  strange  man.  For  he  has  no 
bones,  and  cannot  move  himself,  but  every  spring  and 
autumn  he  is  rolled  over  with  handspikes  by  the 
order  of  Glooskap,  and  this  is  what  his  name  means 
in  the  Micmac  tongue.  And  in  the  autumn  he  is 
turned  towards  the  west,  but  in  the  spring  towards 
the  east,  and  this  is  a  figure  of  speech  denoting  the 
revolving  seasons  of  the  year.  With  his  breath  he 
can  sweep  down  whole  armies,  and  with  his  looks  alone 
he  can  work  great  wonders,  and  all  this  means  the 
weather,  —  frost,  snow,  ice,  and  sunshine.2 

1  This  story  has  been  told  to  me  in  three  different  forms.     I 
have  here  given  it  with  great  care  in  what  I  conceive  to  be  the 
original.     In  one  version  it  is  the  pine,  in  another  the  cedar-tree. 

2  Mr.  Rand  (manuscript,  p.  471)  says  that  all  of  this  explana 
tion  was  given  verbatim  by  a  Micmac  named  Stephen  Flood,  who 
was  a  "  very  intelligent  and  reliable  Indian."     Cool-puj-ot  is  al 
most  identical  with  Shawandasee,  the  guardian  of   the  South. 
"  He  is  represented  as  an  affluent,  plethoric  old  man,  who  has 
grown  unwieldy  from  repletion,  and  seldom  moves.     He  keeps 
his  eyes  steadfastly  fixed  on  the  north.     When  he  sighs  in  au- 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  97 

And  in  the  other  wigwam  dwelt  Cuhkw  (M.),  which 
means  Earthquake.  And  this  mighty  man  can  pass 
along  under  the  ground,  and  make  all  things  shake 
and  tremble  by  his  power. 

Now  when  Giooskap  had  heard  what  these  visitors 
wished  for,  he  called  Earthquake,  and  bid  him  take 
them  all  three  and  put  them  with  their  feet  in  the 
ground.  And  he  did  so,  when  they  at  once  became 
three  trees  :  as  one  tradition  declares,  pines ;  and  an 
other,  cedars. 

So  that  he  that  would  be  tall  became  exceeding  tall, 
for  his  head  rose  above  the  forest ;  and  even  the  tur 
key-feather  at  the  top  thereof  is  not  forgotten,  since 
to  this  day  it  is  seen  waving  in  the  wind.  And  he 
who  will  listen  in  a  pine-wood  may  hear  the  tree  mur 
muring  all  day  long  in  the  Indian  tongue  of  the  olden 
time,  — 

"  Ee  nil  Etuchi  nek  m'kilaskitopp 
Ee  nil  Etuche  wiski  nek  n'kil  ooskedjin."  x 

Oh,  I  am  such  a  great  man  ! 
Oh,  I  am  such  a  great  Indian  ! 

And  the  second,  who  would  remain  in  the  land,  re 
mains  there ;  for  while  his  roots  are  in  the  ground  he 
cannot  depart  from  it. 

tumn,  we  have  those  balmy  southern  airs,  which  communicate 
warmth  and  delight  over  the  northern  hemisphere,  and  make 
the   Indian  summer."     The  "  affluence  "  and  "  grown  unwieldy 
from  repletion,"  in  this  account,  are  probably  due  to  Schoolcraf t's 
florid  style.     (Hiawatha    Legends.)      Shawandasee   is   identical 
with  Svasud  of  the  Edda.     (Vafthrudnismal,  27.) 
1  Passamaquoddy. 
7 


98  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

And  the  third,  who  would  live  long  in  health,  un 
less  men  have  cut  him  down,  is  standing  as  of  yore.1 

Of  Glooskap  and  the  Three  Other  Seekers. 

(Micmac.) 

Of  old  time.  Now  when  it  was  noised  abroad  that 
whoever  besought  Glooskap  could  obtain  the  desire  of 
his  heart,  there  were  three  men  who  said  among  them 
selves,  "  Let  us  seek  the  Master."  So  they  left  their 
home  in  the  early  spring  when  the  bluebird  first  sang, 
and  walked  till  the  fall  frosts,  and  then  into  winter, 
and  ever  on  till  the  next  midsummer.  And  having 
come  to  a  small  path  in  a  great  forest,  they  followed 
it,  till  they  came  out  by  a  very  beautiful  river ;  so  fair 
a  sight  they  had  never  seen,  and  so  went  onward  till 
it  grew  to  be  a  great  lake.  And  so  they  kept  to  the 
path  which,  when  untrodden,  was  marked  by  blazed 
trees,  the  bark  having  been  removed,  in  Indian  fash- 

1  In  another  version  of  this  tale,  Glooskap  transformed  him 
into  an  old  gnarled  and  twisted  cedar,  with  limbs  growing  out 
rough  and  ugly  all  the  way  from  the  bottom.  "  There,"  he  said 
to  the  cedar-tree,  "  I  cannot  say  how  long  you  will  live  ;  only 
the  Great  Spirit  above  can  tell  that ;  but  you  will  not  be  dis 
turbed  for  a  good  while,  as  no  one  can  have  any  object  in  cut 
ting  you  down.  You  are  yourself  unfit  for  any  earthly  purpose, 
and  the  land  around  you  is  useless  for  cultivation.  I  think  you 
will  stand  there  for  a  long  while."  (Rand  manuscript.) 

It  should  be  added  that  in  one  version  we  are  told  that  the 
seeds  from  these  cedars  or  pines  were  blown  by  the  wind,  and  so 
spread  forth  all  over  the  earth.  The  planting  of  the  cedar  by 
Earthquake  possibly  indicates  the  storms  by  which  seeds  are 
blown  afar. 


GLOOSKAP    TURNING    A    MAN    INTO    A    CEDAR-TREE 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  99 

ion,  on  the  side  of  the  trunk  which  is  opposite  the 
place  where  the  wigwam  or  village  lies  towards  which 
it  turns.  So  the  mark  can  be  seen  as  the  traveler 
goes  towards  the  goal,  but  not  while  leaving  it. 

Then  after  a  time  they  came  to  a  long  point  of  land 
running  out  into  the  lake,  and,  having  ascended  a  high 
hill,  they  saw  in  the  distance  a  smoke,  which  guided 
them  to  a  large,  well-built  wigwam.  And,  entering, 
they  found  seated  on  the  right  side  a  handsome, 
healthy  man  of  middle  age,  and  by  the  other  a  woman 
so  decrepit  that  she  seemed  to  be  a  hundred  years 
old.  Opposite  the  door,  and  on  the  left  side,  was  a 
mat,  which  seemed  to  show  that  a  third  person  had 
there  a  seat. 

And  the  man  made  them  welcome,  and  spoke  as  if 
•he  were  weleda'asit  kesegvou  (M.)  —  well  pleased  to 
see  them,  but  did  not  ask  them  whence  they  came  or 
whither  they  were  going,  as  is  wont  among  Indians 
when  strangers  come  to  their  homes  or  are  met  in 
travel.  Erelong  they  heard  the  sound  of  a  paddle, 
and  then  the  noise  of  a  canoe  being  drawn  ashore. 
And  there  came  in  a  youth  of  fine  form  and  features 
and  well  clad,  bearing  weapons  as  if  from  hunting 
who  addressed  the  old  woman  as  Kejoo,  or  mother, 
and  told  her  that  he  had  brought  game.  And  with 
sore  ado  —  for  she  was  feeble  —  the  old  dame  tottered 
out  and  brought  in  four  beavers  ;  but  she  was  so  much 
troubled  to  cut  them  up  that  the  elder,  saying  to  the 
younger  man  Uoh-keenf  (M.),  "  My  brother,"  bade 
him  do  the  work.  And  they  supped  on  beaver. 


100  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

So  they  remained  for  a  week,  resting  themselves, 
for  they  were  sadly  worn  with  their  wearisome  journey, 
and  also  utterly  ragged.  And  then  a  wondrous  thing 
came  to  pass,  which  first  taught  them  that  they  were 
in  an  enchanted  land.  For  one  morning  the  elder 
man  bade  the  younger  wash  their  mother's  face.  And 
as  he  did  this  all  her  wrinkles  vanished,  and  she  be 
came  young  and  very  beautiful ;  in  all  their  lives  the 
travelers  had  never  seen  so  lovely  a  woman.  Her 
hair,  which  had  been  white  and  scanty,  now  hung  to 
her  feet,  dark  and  glossy  as  a  blackbird's  breast. 
Then,  having  been  clad  in  fine  array,  she  showed  a 
tall,  lithe,  and  graceful  form  at  its  best. 

And  the  travelers  said  to  themselves,  "  Truly  this 
man  is  a  great  magician  !  "  They  all  walked  forth  to 
see  the  place.  Never  was  sunshine  so  pleasantly  tem 
pered  by  a  soft  breeze ;  for  all  in  that  land  was  fair, 
and  it  grew  fairer  day  by  day  to  all  who  dwelt  there. 
Tall  trees  with  rich  foliage  and  fragrant  flowers,  but 
without  lower  limbs  or  underbrush,  grew  as  in  a  grove, 
wide  as  a  forest,  yet  so  far  apart  that  the  eye  coidd 
pierce  the  distance  in  every  direction. 

Now  when  they  felt  for  the  first  time  that  they  were 
in  a  new  life  and  a  magic  land,  he  that  was  host  asked 
them  whence  they  came  and  what  they  sought.  So 
they  said  that  they  sought  Glooskap.  And  the  host 
replied,  "  Lo,  I  am  he  ! "  And  they  were  awed  by  his 
presence,  for  a  great  glory  and  majesty  now  sat  upon 
him.  As  the  woman  had  changed,  so  had  he,  for  al] 
in  that  place  was  wonderful. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  101 

Then  the  first,  telling  what  he  wanted,  said,  "  I  am 
a  wicked  man,  and  I  have  a  bad  temper.  I  am  prone 
to  wrath  and  reviling,  yet  I  would  fain  be  pious,  meek, 
and  holy." 

And  the  next  said,  "  I  am  very  poor,  and  my  life  is 
hard.  I  toil,  but  can  barely  make  niy  living.  I 
would  fain  be  rich." 

Now  the  third  replied,  "  I  am  of  low  estate,  being 
despised  and  hated  by  all  my  people,  and  I  wish  to  be 
loved  and  respected."  And  to  all  these  the  Master 
made  answer,  "  So  shall  it  be  !  " 

And  taking  his  medicine-bag  {Upsakumoode,  M.) 
he  gave  unto  each  a  small  box,  and  bade  them  keep  it 
closed  until  they  should  be  once  more  at  home.1  And 
on  returning  to  the  wigwam  he  also  gave  to  each  of 
them  newr  garments ;  in  all  their  lives  they  had  never 
seen  or  heard  of  such  rich  apparel  or  such  ornaments 
as  they  now  had.  Then  when  it  was  time  to  depart, 
as  they  knew  not  the  way  to  their  home,  he  arose  and 
went  with  them.  Now  they  had  been  more  than  a 
year  in  coming.  But  he,  having  put  on  his  belt,  went 
forth,  and  they  followed,  till  in  the  forenoon  he  led 
them  to  the  top  of  a  high  mountain,  from  which  in 
the  distance  they  beheld  yet  another,  the  blue  outline 
of  which  could  just  be  seen  above  the  horizon.  And 
having  been  told  that  their  way  was  unto  it,  they 

1  In  tliis  version  (Rand  manuscript)  there  is  a  fourth  Indian 
introduced,  —  he  who  would  fain  be  tall  and  long-lived,  and  is 
changed  to  a  tree.  As  it  is  precisely  the  same  tale  as  that  of  the 
three  who  became  cypresses  or  pines,  I  have  not  repeated  it. 


102  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

thought  it  would  be  a  week's  journey  to  reach  it.  But 
they  went  on,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  of 
the  same  day  they  were  there,  on  the  summit  of  the 
second  mountain.  And  looking  from  this  afar,  all 
was  familiar  to  them  —  hill  and  river,  and  wood  and 
lakes  ;  all  was  in  their  memory.  "  And  there,"  said 
the  Master,  pointing  unto  it,  —  "  there  is  your  own 
village  !  "  So  he  left  them  alone,  and  they  went  on 
their  way,  and  before  the  sun  had  set  were  safe  at 
home. 

Yet  when  they  came  no  one  knew  them,  because  of 
the  great  change  in  their  appearance  and  their  fine 
attire,  the  like  of  which  had  never  been  seen  by  man 
in  those  days.  But  having  made  themselves  known  to 
their  friends,  all  that  were  there  of  old  and  young 
gathered  together  to  gaze  upon  and  hear  what  they 
had  to  say.  And  they  were  amazed. 

Then  each  of  them,  having  opened  his  box,  found 
therein  an  unguent,  rich  and  fragrant,  and  with  this 
they  rubbed  their  bodies  completely.  And  they  were 
ever  after  so  fragrant  from  the  divine  anointing  that 
all  sought  to  be  near  them.  Happy  were  they  who 
could  but  sniff  at  the  blessed  smell  which  came  from 
them. 

Now  he  who  had  been  despised  for  his  deformity 
and  weakness  and  meanness  became  beautiful  and 
strong  and  stately  as  a  pine-tree.  There  was  no  man 
in  all  the  land  so  graceful  or  of  such  good  behavior. 

And  he  who  had  desired  abundance  had  it,  in  all 
fullness,  his  wish.  For  the  moose  and  caribou  came 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  103 

to  him  in  the  forest,  the  fish  leaped  into  his  nets,  all 
men  gave  unto  him,  and  he  gave  unto  all  freely,  to 
the  end. 

And  he  that  had  been  wicked  and  of  evil  mind, 
hasty  and  cruel,  became  meek  and  patient,  good  and 
gentle,  and  he  made  others  like  himself.  And  he 
had  his  reward,  for  there  was  a  blessing  upon  him  as 
upon  all  those  who  had  wished  wisely  even  unto  the 
end  of  their  days.1 

1  This  beautiful  story,  in  its  original  simplicity,  reminds  one  of 
the  tenderest  biblical  narratives.  There  is  in  it  nothing  reflected 
or  second-hand  ;  it  is  a  very  ancient  or  truly  aboriginal  tale.  I 
can  but  sincerely  regret  my  utter  inability  to  do  justice  to  it. 
The  pen  of  a  great  master  would  be  required  to  describe  the 
fairyland  freshness  and  light  of  Glooskap's  home  as  it  is  felt  in 
the  original  by  men  far  more  familiar  with  the  forest  in  all  its 
loveliness  at  all  seasons  than  any  white  writer  can  be.  The 
naivete  or  simplicity  of  the  pilgrims  is  as  striking  as  that  of  the 
narrator  or  poet,  to  whom  fine  clothes  —  a  Homeric  trait  —  are 
as  wonderful  as  all  the  deeds  of  magic  which  he  describes. 

In  this  and  other  tales  a  man  is  represented  as  being  punished 
by  being  turned  into  a  tree,  so  that  he  can  never  leave  a  certain 
spot.  This  is  a  kind  of  imprisonment.  In  the  Eclda  the  Ash 
Yggdrasil  is  the  prison  of  Iduna. 

"  She  ill  brooked 
her  descent 
under  the  hoar  tree's 
trunk  confined." 

(Hrofnagaldr  Odins,  7.) 

It  is  to  keep  a  man  or  a  woman  in  a  certain  place,  as  prisoner, 
that  the  characters  described  in  the  Indian  and  Norse  myths  are 
put  into  trees. 

This  was  related  to  Mr.  Rand  by  Benjamin  Brooks,  a  Micmac. 


104  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Of  Glooskap  and  the  Sinful  Serpent. 
(Passamaquoddy.) 

Of  old  time  it  befell  that  Glooskap  had  an  enemy, 
an  evil  man,  a  sinful  beast,  a  great  sorcerer.  And 
this  man,  after  trying  many  things,  made  himself  a 
great  serpent,  hoping  so  to  slay  the  Master. 

Of  old  time  Glooskap  met  a  boy  whose  name  was 
' NmmoTcswesS)  the  Sable.1  And  the  boy  had  a  flute  : 
whoever  played  on  it  could  entice  unto  him  all  the 
animals.  And  once,  when  the  Master  was  afar,  the 
boy  broke  the  flute,  and  in  his  great  sorrow  he  would 
not  return  home,  but  wandered  away  into  the  wil 
derness.  Now  Glooskap  knew  in  his  heart  that  the 
flute  was  broken:  he  who  is  a  magician  knows  at 
once  of  a  great  evil.  And  coming  home,  he  asked 
of  the  grandmother  where  the  boy  was,  and  she  could 
only  weep.  Then  the  Master  said,  "  Though  I  roam 
forever,  yet  will  I  find  the  boy."  So  he  went  forth, 
and  he  tracked  him  in  the  snow  for  three  days ; 
and  on  the  third  night  he  heard  some  one  singing  in 
a  hollow;  and  it  was  a  magic  song,  that  which  the 
rrfUoulin  sings  when  he  is  in  dire  need  and  death  is 
near.  And  making  a  circle  round  about  the  place, 
Glooskap  looked  down  and  saw  a  wigwam,  and  heard 
the  voice  more  distinctly  as  he  drew  nearer;  and  it 
was  the  voice  of  the  boy,  and  he  was  singing  a  song 

1  Evidently  no  other  than  Marten,  or  the  Abistauooch  of  the 
Micmac  mythology. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  105 

against  all  of  the  snake  kind.  And  he  was  wandering 
about  the  wigwam,  seeking  a  straight  stick. 

Then  Glooskap  understood  all  the  thing,  and  how 
the  boy  had  been  enticed  into  the  wilderness  by  the 
evil  arts  of  At-o-sis,  the  Snake,  and  that  the  Great 
Serpent  was  in  the  wigwam,  and  had  sent  him  out  to 
seek  a  straight  stick.  Then  Glooskap,  singing  again 
softly,  bade  him  get  a  very  crooked  one,  and  told 
what  more  to  do.  So  the  boy  got  an  exceedingly 
crooked  one  ;  and  when  he  entered,  the  Snake,  seeing 
it,  said,  "  Why  hast  thou  got  such  a  bad  stick  ? " 
And  the  boy,  answering,  said,  "  Truly,  it  is  very 
crooked,  but  that  which  is  crookedest  may  be  made 
straightest,  and  I  know  a  charm  whereby  this  can  be 
done ;  for  I  will  but  heat  this  stick  in  the  fire,  and 
then  I  will  make  it  quite  straight,  as  you  shall  see." 
Now  At-o-sis  was  very  anxious  to  behold  this  wonder 
ful  thing,  and  he  looked  closely  ;  but  the  boy,  as  soon 
as  the  end  of  the  stick  was  red-hot,  thrust  it  into  his 
eyes  and  blinded  him,  and  ran  forth.  Yet  the  Snake 
followed  him ;  but  when  he  was  without  the  wigwam 
he  met  the  Master,  who  slew  him  out  of  hand.1 

Of  old  times.     This  is  an  end  of  the  story. 

1  This  curious  legend  is  suggestive  of  Ulysses  and  the  Cyclops. 
The  enemies  of  Glooskap  are  all  cannibals  ;  the  boy  is  sent  out 
for  a  straight  stick  to  serve  as  a  spit  to  roast  him  on.  It  is  not  im 
possible  that  the  Snake,  in  some  perfect  version  of  the  tale,  has 
but  a  single  eye,  since  many  of  the  evil  creatures  of  red  Indian 
mythology  are  half  stone  lengthwise.  But  the  whole  story  is 
full  of  strange  hints.  It  was  told  me  by  Tomah  Josephs,  at  Cam- 
pobello,  N.  B. 


106      THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

The  Tale  of  Glooskap  as  told  by  another  Indian.     Show* 

ing  how  the  Toad  and  Porcupine  lost  their  Noses. 

(Micmac.) 

In  the  old  time.  Far  before  men  knew  themselves, 
in  the  light  before  the  sun,  Glooskap  and  his  brother 
were  as  yet  unborn ;  they  waited  for  the  day  to  ap 
pear.  Then  they  talked  together,  and  the  youngest 
said,  "  Why  should  I  wait?  I  will  go  into  the  world 
and  begin  my  life  at  once."  Then  the  elder  said, 
"  Not  so,  for  this  were  a  great  evil."  But  the  younger 
gave  no  heed  to  any  wisdom  :  in  his  wickedness  he 
broke  through  his  mother's  side,  he  rent  the  wall ;  his 
beginning  of  life  was  his  mother's  death. 

Now,  in  after  years,  the  younger  brother  would 
learn  in  what  lay  the  secret  of  the  elder's  death.  And 
Glooskap,  being  crafty,  told  the  truth  and  yet  lied; 
for  his  name  was  the  Liar,  yet  did  he  never  lie  for 
evil  or  aught  to  harm.  So  he  told  his  brother  that 
the  blow  of  a  ball,  or  handful  of  the  down  of  feath 
ers,  would  take  away  his  life ;  and  this  was  true,  for 
it  would  stun  him,  but  it  would  not  prevent  his  re 
turning  to  life.  Then  Glooskap  asked  the  younger  for 
his  own  secret.  And  he,  being  determined  to  give  the 
elder  no  time,  answered  truly  and  fearlessly,  "  I  can 
only  be  slain  by  the  stroke  of  a  cat-tail  or  bulrush." 

And  then  the  younger,  having  gathered  the  down 
of  bird's  feathers,  struck  the  elder,  so  that  he  fell 
dead,  and  therein  he  told  the  truth.  But  he  soon  re 
covered,  and  in  that  was  his  deceit.  Howbeit  it  was 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  107 

well  for  the  world  and  well  for  him  that  he  then 
gathered  bulrushes  and  smote  his  younger  brother,  so 
that  he  died.  But  the  plant  never  grew  that  could 
harm  the  Master,  wherefore  he  is  alive  to  this  day. 

Who  was  his  mother  ?  The  female  Turtle  was  his 
mother. 

The  Master  was  the  Lord  of  Men  and  Beasts. 
Beasts  and  Men,  one  as  the  other,  he  ruled  them  all. 
Great  was  his  army,  his  tribe  was  All.  In  it  the 
Great  Golden  Eagle  was  a  chief ;  he  married  a  female 
Caribou.  The  Turtle  was  Glooskap's  uncle ;  he  mar 
ried  a  daughter  of  the  Golden  Eagle  and  Caribou.  Of 
all  these  things  there  are  many  and  long  traditions. 
Our  people  tell  them  in  the  winter  by  the  fire  :  the 
old  people  know  them ;  the  young  forget  them  and 
the  wisdom  which  is  in  them. 

When  the  Turtle  married,  the  Master  bade  him 
make  a  feast,  and  wished  that  the  banquet  should  be 
a  mighty  one.  To  do  this  he  gave  him  great  power. 
He  bade  him  go  down  to  a  point  of  rocks  by  the  sea, 
where  many  whales  were  always  to  be  found.  He 
bade  him  bring  one  ;  he  gave  him  power  to  do  so,  but 
he  set  a  mark,  or  an  appointed  space,  and  bade  him  not 
go  an  inch  beyond  it.  So  the  Turtle  went  down  to 
the  sea ;  he  caught  a  great  whale,  he  bore  it  to  camp  ; 
it  seemed  to  him  easy  to  do  this.  But  like  all  men 
there  was  in  him  vain  curiosity ;  the  falsehood  of  dis 
obedience  was  in  him,  and  to  try  the  Master  he  went 
beyond  the  mark  ;  and  as  he  did  this  he  lost  his  magic 
strength  ;  he  became  as  a  man ;  even  as  a  common 


108  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

mortal  his  nerves  weakened,  and  he  fell,  crushed  flat 
beneath  the  weight  of  the  great  fish. 

Then  men  ran  to  Glooskap,  saying  that  Turtle  was 
dead.  But  the  Master  answered,  "  Cut  up  the  Whale  ; 
he  who  is  now  dead  will  revive."  So  they  cut  it  up  ; 
(and  when  the  feast  was  ready)  Turtle  came  in  yawn 
ing,  and  stretching  out  his  leg  he  cried,  "  How  tired 
I  am !  Truly,  I  must  have  overslept  myself."  Now 
from  this  time  all  men  greatly  feared  Glooskap,  for 
they  saw  that  he  was  a  spirit. 

It  came  to  pass  that  the  Turtle  waxed  mighty  in 
his  own  conceit,  and  thought  that  he  could  take  Gloos- 
kap's  place  and  reign  in  his  stead.  So  he  held  a 
council  of  all  the  animals  to  find  out  how  he  could  be 
slain.  The  Lord  of  Men  and  Beasts  laughed  at  this. 
Little  did  he  care  for  them  ! 

And  knowing  all  that  was  in  their  hearts,  he  put  on 
the  shape  of  an  old  squaw  and  went  into  the  council- 
house.  And  he  sat  down  by  two  witches  :  one  was  the 
Porcupine,  the  other  the  Toad ;  as  women  they  sat 
there.  Of  them  the  Master  asked  humbly  how  they 
expected  to  kill  him.  And  the  Toad  answered  sav 
agely,  "  What  is  that  to  thee,  and  what  hast  thou  to 
do  with  this  thing  ?  "  "  Truly,"  he  replied,  "  I  meant 
no  harm,"  and  saying  this  he  softly  touched  the  tips 
of  their  noses,  and  rising  went  his  way.  But  the  two 
witches,  looking  one  at  the  other,  saw  presently  that 
their  noses  were  both  gone,  and  they  screamed  aloud 
in  terror,  but  their  faces  were  none  the  less  flat.  And 
so  it  came  that  the  Toad  and  the  Porcupine  both  lost 
their  noses  and  have  none  to  this  day. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  109 

Glooskap  had  two  dogs.  One  was  the  Loon  (Kwe- 
moo),  the  other  the  Wolf  (Malsum).  Of  old  all  ani 
mals  were  as  men ;  the  Master  gave  them  the  shapes 
which  they  now  bear.  But  the  Wolf  and  the  Loon 
loved  Glooskap  so  greatly  that  since  he  left  them 
they  liowl  and  wail.  He  who  hears  their  cries  over 
the  still  sound  and  lonely  lake,  by  the  streams  where 
no  dwellers  are,  or  afar  at  night  in  the  forests  and 
hollows,  hears  them  sorrowing  for  the  Master. 

I  am  indebted  for  this  legend  to  Mr.  Edward  Jack, 
of  Fredericton,  N.  B.  "  I  give  it  to  you,"  he  writes, 
"  just  as  it  came  from  an  Indian's  lips,  as  he  sat  be 
fore  the  fire  in  my  room  this  evening,  smoking  his  to 
bacco  mixed  with  willow  bark.  He  has  an  endless 
store  of  Indian  lore."  It  may  be  observed  that  this 
story  gives  a  far  more  ingenious  reason  for  Glooskap's 
telling  his  brother  what  would  be  his  bane  than  ap 
pears  in  the  other  version.  For  he  tells  him  what 
would  indeed  deprive  him  of  life,  but  not  forever. 

No  one  can  compare  the  story  of  Glooskap  with  that 
of  Manobozho  -  Hiawatha  and  the  like,  as  given  by 
Schoolcraft  or  Cusick,  and  not  decide  that  the  latter 
seems  to  be  a  second-hand  version  of  the  former.  In 
one  we  have  the  root  of  the  bulrush,  —  not  the  light, 
feathery  rush  itself.  In  this  story,  as  in  that  of  Balder 
and  Loki,  it  is  the  very  apparent  harmlessness  of  the 
bane  which  points  the  incident.  Manobozho's  father 
so?/8  that  a  black  rock  will  kill  him  ;  but  it  does  not, 
although  he  flies  before  it.  Glooskap  declares  that  a 


110  THE   ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

handful  of  down  will  cause  his  death.  The  double 
entendre  of  the  swoon  is  entirely  wanting  in  the  West 
ern  tale,  as  is  the  apparent  harmlessness  of  the  me 
dium  of  death.  In  the  Edda  the  mistletoe,  the  softest, 
and  apparently  the  least  injurious,  of  plants,  kills 
Balder ;  in  the  Wabanaki  tale  it  is  a  ball  of  down 
or  a  rush.  The  Chippewas  change  it,  like  savages,  to 
a  substantial  root  and  a  black  rock,  thereby  manifest 
ing  an  insensibility  to  the  point  of  the  original,  which 
is  that  the  most  trifling  thing  may  be  the  cause  of  the 
most  terrible  events. 

How  Glooskap  changed  Certain  Saucy  Indians  into  Rattle- 

snakes. 
(Passamaquoddy.) 

You  know  At-o-sis,  the  Snake?  Well,  the  worst  of 
all  is  Rattlesnake.  Long  time  ago  the  Rattlesnakes 
were  saucy  Indians.  They  were  very  saucy.  They 
had  too  much  face.  They  could  not  be  put  down  by 
much,  and  they  got  up  for  very  little. 

When  the  great  Flood  was  coming  Glooskap  told 
them  about  it.  They  said  they  did  not  care.  He  told 
them  the  water  would  come  over  their  heads.  They 
said  that  would  be  very  wet.  He  told  them  to  be 
good  and  quiet,  and  pray.  Then  those  Indians  hur 
rahed.  He  said,  "  A  great  Flood  is  coming."  Then 
they  gave  three  cheers  for  the  great  Flood.  He  said, 
"  The  Flood  will  come  and  drown  you  all."  Then 
these  Indians  hurrahed  again,  and  got  their  rattles, 
made  of  turtle-shells,  in  the  old  fashion,  fastened  to- 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  Ill 

gether,  filled  with  pebbles,  and  rattled  them  and  had 
a  grand  dance.  Afterwards,  when  the  white  men 
brought  cows  and  oxen  into  the  country,  they  made 
rattles  of  horns. 

Yes,  they  had  a  great  dance.  The  rain  began  to 
fall,  but  they  danced.  The  thunder  roared,  and  they 
shook  their  rattles  and  yelled  at  it.  Then  Glooskap 
was  angry.  He  did  not  drown  them  in  the  Flood, 
however,  but  he  changed  them  into  rattlesnakes. 
Nowadays,  when  they  see  a  man  coming,  they  lift  up 
their  heads  and  move  them  about.  That 's  the  way 
snakes  dance.  And  they  shake  the  rattles  in  their 
tails  just  as  Indians  shake  their  rattles  when  they 
dance.  How  do  you  like  such  music  ? 

A  Passamaquoddy  tale  related  by  an  old  woman 
to  Mrs.  W.  Wallace  Brown.  These  Indians  still  keep 
up  a  very  curious  snake-dance. 

How  Glooskap  bound  Wuchowsen,  the  Great  Wind-Bird, 
and  made  all  the  Waters  in  all  the  World  Stagnant. 

(Passamaquoddy.) 

The  Indians  believe  in  a  great  bird  called  by  them 
Wochowsen  or  Wuchowsen,  meaning  Wind-Blow  or 
the  Wind-Blower,  who  lives  far  to  the  North,  and 
sits  upon  a  great  rock  at  the  end  of  the  sky.  And  it 
is  because  whenever  he  moves  his  wings  the  wind 
blows  they  of  old  times  called  him  that. 

When  Glooskap  was  among  men  he  often  went  out 
in  his  canoe  with  bow  and  arrows  to  kill  sea-fowl. 


112  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

At  one  time  it  was  every  clay  very  windy ;  it  grew 
worse ;  at  last  it  blew  a  tempest,  and  he  could  not 
go  out  at  all.  Then  he  said,  "  Wuchowsen,  the  Great 
Bird,  has  done  this  !  " 

He  went  to  find  him ;  it  was  long  ere  he  reached 
his  abode.  He  found  sitting  on  a  high  rock  a  large 
white  Bird. 

"  Grandfather,"  said  Glooskap,  "  you  take  no  com 
passion  on  your  Koosesek,  your  grandchildren.  You 
have  caused  this  wind  and  storm ;  it  is  too  much. 
Be  easier  with  your  wings  !  " 

The  Giant  Bird  replied,  "  I  have  been  here  since 
ancient  times ;  in  the  earliest  days,  ere  aught  else 
spoke,  I  first  moved  my  wings  ;  mine  was  the  first 
voice,  —  and  I  will  ever  move  my  wings  as  I  will." 

Then  Glooskap  rose  in  his  might ;  he  rose  to  the 
clouds ;  he  took  the  Great  Bird-giant  Wuchowsen  as 
though  he  were  a  duck,  and  tied  both  his  wings,  and 
threw  him  down  into  a  chasm  between  deep  rocks, 
and  left  him  lying  there. 

The  Indians  could  now  go  out  in  their  canoes  all 
day  long,  for  there  was  a  dead  calm  for  many  weeks 
and  months.  And  with  that  all  the  waters  became 
stagnant.  They  were  so  thick  that  Glooskap  could 
not  paddle  his  canoe.  Then  he  thought  of  the  Great 
Bird,  and  went  to  see  him. 

As  he  had  left  him  he  found  him,  for  Wuchowsen 
is  immortal.  So,  raising  him,  he  put  him  on  his  rock 
again,  and  untied  one  of  his  wings.  Since  then  the 
winds  have  never  been  so  terrible  as  in  the  old  time. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  113 

The  reader  will  find  the  main  incident  of  this  story 
repeated  in  "  Tumilkoontaoo,  the  Broken  Wing," 
from  the  Micmac,  in  which  there  is  no  mention  of 
Glooskap.  This  of  Wuchowsen  is  from  the  Passa- 
maquoddy  manuscript  collection  by  Louis  Mitchell. 
It  is  unquestionably  the  original.  ^Glooskap,  as  the 
greatest  magician,  most  appropriately  subdues  the 
giant  eagle  of  the  North,  the  terrible  god  of  the 
storm. 

No  one  who  knows  the  Edda  will  deny  that  Wu- 
chowsen,  or  the  Wind-blower,  as  he  appears  in  the 
Passamaquoddy  tale,  is  far  more  like  the  same  bird 
of  the  Norsemen  than  the  grotesque  Thunder  Bird 
of  the  Western  tribes.  He  is  distinctly  spoken  of  by 
the  Indians  of  Maine  as  a  giant  and  a  bird  in  one, 
sitting  011  a  high  cliff  at  the  end  of  the  sky,  the  wind 
—  not  thunder  —  coming  from  his  pinions  :  — 

"  Tell  me  ninthly, 
jSiuce  thou  art  called  wise, 
Whence  the  wind  comes, 
That  over  ocean  passes, 
Itself  invisible  to  man. 

"  Hraesvelg  he  is  called 
Who  at  the  end  of  heaven  sits, 
A  Jbtun  (giant)  in  eagle's  plumage  : 
From  his  wings  comes, 
It  is  said,  the  wind 
That  over  all  men  passes." 
(The  Lay  of  Vafthrudnir.     The  Edda,  trans,  by  B.  Thorpe.) 


114  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

How  Glooskap  conquered  the  Great  Bull-Frog,  and  in  what 
Manner  all  the  Pollywogs,  Crabs,  Leeches,  and  other 
Water  Creatures  were  created. 

(Passamaquoddy  and  Micmac.) 

N'karnayoo,  of  old  times,  there  was  an  Indian 
village  far  away  among  the  mountains,  little  known 
to  other  men.  And  the  dwellers  therein  were  very 
comfortable :  the  men  hunted  every  day,  the  women 
did  the  work  at  home,  and  all  went  well  in  all  things 
save  in  this.  The  town  was  by  a  brook,  and  except 
in  it  there  was  not  a  drop  of  water  in  all  the  country 
round,  unless  in  a  few  rain-puddles.  No  one  there 
had  ever  found  even  a  spring. 

Now  these  Indians  were  very  fond  of  good  water. 
The  brook  was  of  a  superior  quality,  and  they  be 
came  dainty  over  it. 

But  after  a  time  they  began  to  observe  that  the 
brook  was  beginning  to  run  low,  and  that  not  in  the 
summer  time,  but  in  autumn,  even  after  the  rains. 
And  day  by  day  it  diminished,  until  its  bed  was  as 
dry  as  a  dead  bone  in  the  ashes  of  a  warm  fire. 

Now  it  was  said  that  far  away  up  in  the  land  where 
none  had  ever  been  there  was  on  this  very  stream 
another  Indian  village;  but  what  manner  of  men 
dwelt  therein  no  one  knew.  And  thinking  that  these 
people  of  the  upper  country  might  be  in  some  way 
concerned  in  the  drought,  they  sent  one  of  their  num 
ber  to  go  and  see  into  the  matter. 

And  after  he  had  traveled  three  days  he  came  to 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  115 

the  place ;  and  there  he  found  that  a  dam  had  been 
raised  across  the  rivulet,  so  that  no  water  could  pass, 
for  it  was  all  kept  in  a  pond.  Then  asking  them  why 
they  had  made  this  mischief,  since  the  dam  was  of  no 
use  to  them,  they  bade  him  go  and  see  their  chief,  by 
whose  order  this  had  been  built. 

And  when  he  came  to  him,  lo,  there  lay  lazily  in 
the  mud  a  creature  who  was  more  of  a  monster  than 
a  man,  though  he  had  a  human  form.  For  he  was 
immense  to  measure,  like  a  giant,  fat,  bloated,  and 
brutal  to  behold.  His  great  yellow  eyes  stuck  from 
his  head  like  pine-knots,  his  mouth  went  almost  from 
ear  to  ear,  and  he  had  broad,  skinny  feet  with  long 
toes,  exceeding  marvelous. 

The  messenger  complained  to  this  monster,  who  at 
first  said  nothing,  and  then  croaked,  and  finally  re 
plied  in  a  loud  bellow,  — 

"  Do  as  you  choose, 
Do  as  you  choose, 
Do  as  you  choose. 

"  What  do  I  care  ? 
What  do  I  care  ? 
What  do  I  care  ? 

"  If  you  want  water, 
If  you  want  water, 
If  you  want  water, 
Go  somewhere  else." 

Then  the  messenger  remonstrated,  and  described 
the  suffering  of  the  people,  who  were  dying  of  thirst. 


116  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

And  tins  seemed  to  please  the  monster,  who  grinned. 
At  last  he  got  up,  and,  making  a  single  spring  to  the 
dam,  took  an  arrow  and  bored  a  hole  in  it,  so  that  a 
little  water  trickled  out,  and  then  he  bellowed,  — 

"  Up  and  begone  ! 
Up  and  begone  ! 
Up  and  begone  !  " 

So  the  man  departed,  little  comforted.  He  came 
to  his  home,  and  for  a  few  days  there  was  a  little 
water  in  the  stream ;  but  this  soon  stopped,  and  there 
was  great  suffering  again. 

Now  these  Indians,  who  were  the  honestest  fellows 
in  all  the  world,  and  never  did  harm  to  any  one  save 
their  enemies,  were  in  a  sorry  pickle.  For  it  is  a  bad 
thing  to  have  nothing  but  water  to  drink,  but  to  want 
that  is  to  be  mightily  dry.  And  the  great  Glooskap, 
who  knew  all  that  was  passing  in  the  hearts  of  men 
and  beasts,  took  note  of  this,  and  when  he  willed  it  he 
was  among  them ;  for  he  ever  came  as  the  wind  comes, 
and  no  man  wist  how. 

And  just  before  he  came  all  of  these  good  fellows 
had  resolved  in  council  that  they  would  send  the  bold 
est  man  among  them  to  certain  death,  even  to  the  vil 
lage  which  built  the  dam  that  kept  the  water  which 
filled  the  brook  that  quenched  their  thirst,  whenever 
it  was  not  empty.  And  when  there  he  was  either  to 
obtain  that  they  should  cut  the  dam,  or  do  something 
desperate,  and  to  this  intent  he  should  go  armed,  and 
sing  his  death-song  as  he  went.  And  they  were  all 
agog. 


GLOOSKAP    THE  DIVINITY.  117 

Then  Glooskap,  who  was  much  pleased  with  all 
this,  for  he  loved  a  brave  man,  came  among  them  look 
ing  terribly  ferocious  ;  in  all  the  land  there  was  not 
one  who  seemed  half  so  horrible.  For  he  appeared 
ten  feet  high,  with  a  hundred  red  and  black  feathers 
in  his  scalp-lock,  his  face  painted  like  fresh  blood  with 
green  rings  round  his  eyes,  a  large  clam-shell  hanging 
from  each  ear,  a  spread  eagle,  very  awful  to  behold, 
flapping  its  wings  from  the  back  of  his  neck,  so  that 
as  he  strode  into  the  village  all  hearts  quaked.  Being 
but  simple  Indians,  they  accounted  that  this  must  be, 
if  not  Lox  the  Great  Wolverine,  at  least  Mitche-hant, 
the  devil  himself  in  person,  turned  Wabanaki ;  and 
they  admired  him  greatly,  and  the  squaws  said  they 
had  never  seen  aught  so  lovely. 

Then  Glooskap,  having  heard  the  whole  story,  bade 
them  be  of  good  cheer,  declaring  that  he  would  soon 
set  all  to  rights.  And  he  without  delay  departed  up 
the  bed  of  the  brook  ;  and  coming  to  the  town,  sat 
down  and  bade  a  boy  bring  him  water  to  drink.  To 
which  the  boy  replied  that  no  water  could  be  had  in 
that  town  unless  it  were  given  out  by  the  chief.  "  Go 
then  to  your  chief,"  said  the  Master,  "  and  bid  him 
hurry,  or,  verily,  I  will  know  the  reason  why."  And 
this  being  told,  Glooskap  received  no  reply  for  more 
•'•-i:in  im  hour,  during  which  time  he  sat  on  a  log  and 

lokecl  his  pipe.  Then  the  boy  returned  with  a  small 
'-up,  and  this  not  half  full,  of  very  dirty  water. 

So  he  arose,  and  said  to  the  boy,  "  I  will  go  and 
see  your  chief,  and  I  think  he  will  soon  give  me  bet- 


118  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

ter  water  than  this."  And  having  come  to  the  mon 
ster,  he  said,  "  Give  me  to  drink,  and  that  of  the  best, 
at  once,  thou  Thing  of  Mud !  "  But  the  chief  reviled 
him,  and  said,  "  Get  thee  hence,  to  find  water  where 
thou  canst."  Then  Glooskap  thrust  a  spear  into  his 
belly,  and  lo !  there  gushed  forth  a  mighty  river  ; 
even  all  the  water  which  should  have  run  on  while  in 
the  rivulet,  for  he  had  made  it  into  himself.  And 
Glooskap,  rising  high  as  a  giant  pine,  caught  the  chief 
in  his  hand  and  crumpled  in  his  back  with  a  mighty 
grip.  And  lo  !  it  was  the  Bull-Frog.  So  he  hurled 
him  with  contempt  into  the  stream,  to  follow  the  cur 
rent. 

And  ever  since  that  time  the  Bull-Frog's  back  has 
crumpled  wrinkles  in  the  lower  part,  showing  the 
prints  of  Glooskap's  awful  squeeze. 

Then  he  returned  to  the  village ;  but  there  he  found 
no  people, — no,  not  one.  For  a  marvelous  thing  had 
come  to  pass  during  his  absence,  which  shall  be  heard 
in  every  Indian's  speech  through  all  the  ages.  For  the 
men,  being,  as  I  said,  simple,  honest  folk,  did  as  boys 
do  when  they  are  hungry,  and  say  unto  one  another, 
"  What  would  you  like  to  have,  and  what  you  ?  " 
"  Truly,  I  would  be  pleased  with  a  slice  of  hot  veni 
son  dipped  in  maple-sugar  and  bear's  oil."  "  Nay, 
give  me  for  my  share  succotash  and  honey."  Even 
so  these  villagers  had  said,  "  Suppose  you  had  all  the 
nice  cold,  fresh,  sparkling,  delicious  water  there  is  in 
the  world,  what  would  you  do  ?  " 

And  one  said  that  he  would  live  in  the  soft  mud, 
and  always  be  wet  and  cool. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  119 

And  another,  that  he  would  plunge  from  the  rocks, 
and  take  headers,  diving  into  the  deep,  cold  water, 
drinking  as  he  dived. 

And  the  third,  that  he  would  be  washed  up  and 
down  with  the  rippling  waves,  living  on  the  land,  yet 
ever  in  the  water. 

Then  the  fourth  said,  "  Verily,  you  know  not  how 
to  wish,  and  I  will  teach  you.  I  would  live  in  the 
water  all  the  time,  and  swim  about  in  it  forever." 

Now  it  chanced  that  these  things  were  said  in  the 
hour  which,  when  it  passes  over  the  world,  all  the 
wishes  uttered  by  men  are  granted.  And  so  it  was 
with  these  Indians.  For  the  first  became  a  Leech,  the 
second  a  Sp9tted  Frog,  the  third  a  Crab,  which  is 
washed  up  and  down  with  the  tide,  and  the  fourth  a 
Fish.  Ere  this  there  had  been  in  all  the  world  none 
of  the  creatures  which  dwell  in  the  water,  and  now 
they  were  there,  and  of  all  kinds.  And  the  river 
came  rushing  and  roaring  on,  and  they  all  went  head 
long  down  to  the  sea,  to  be  washed  into  many  lands 
over  all  the  world.1 

1  This  was  told  by  Tomah  Josephs.  It  is  given  much  more  im 
perfectly  in  the  tale  of  Kitpooseagunow  in  the  Rand  manuscript, 
and  in  the  Anglo-Indian  "  Storey  of  Glooscap."  I  have  taken 
very  great  pains  in  this,  as  in  all  the  tales  written  down  from 
verbal  narration,  to  be  accurate  in  details,  and  to  convey  as  well 
as  I  could  the  quaint  manner  and  dry  humor  which  characterized 
the  style  of  the  narrator.  Even  white  men  do  not  tell  the  same 
story  in  the  same  way  to  everybody  ;  and  if  Tomahquah  and 
others  fully  expressed  their  feelings  to  me,  it  was  because  they 
had  never  before  met  with  a  white  man  who  listened  to  them 


120  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

How  the  Lord  of  Hen  and  Beasts  strove  with  the  Miyhty 
Wasis,  and  was  shamefully  defeated. 

(Penobscot.) 

Now  it  came  to  pass  when  Glooskap  had  conquered 
all  his  enemies,  even  the  I£ewahqu\  who  were  giants 
and  sorcerers,  and  the  m'tfoulin,  who  were  magicians, 
and  the  jPamola,  who  is  the  evil  spirit  of  the  night 
air,  and  all  manner  of  ghosts,  witches,  devils,  canni 
bals,  and  goblins,  that  he  thought  upon  what  he  had 
done,  and  wondered  if  his  work  was  at  an  end. 

And  he  said  this  to  a  certain  woman.  But  she  re 
plied,  "  Not  so  fast,  Master,  for  there  yet  remains 
One  whom  no  one  has  ever  conquered  or  got  the  bet 
ter  of  in  any  way,  and  who  will  remain  unconquered 
to  the  end  of  time." 

with  such  sympathy.  It  may  be  observed  that  the  Indians  com 
monly  say  that  wherever  the  bull- frog  is  to  be  found  in  summer 
there  is  always  water.  It  is  not  to  be  understood,  in  this  tale, 
that  the  bull-frog  is  supposed  to  have  merely  drunk  up  the  river. 
It  is  the  river  which  has  become  incarnate  in  him.  It  is  the  ice 
of  winter  penetrated  by  the  spear  of  the  sun  ;  that  is,  Glooskap. 
Thus,  in  another  tale,  a  frozen  river  tries,  as  a  man,  to  destroy 
the  hero,  but  is  melted  by  him.  The  conception  of  the  hour  when 
all  wishes  are  granted,  and  the  abrupt  termination  of  the  whole 
in  a  grand  transformation  scene,  are  both  very  striking.  There 
is  something  like  the  former  in  Rabelais,  in  his  narrative  of 
the  golden  hatchet  ;  as  regards  the  latter,  it  is  like  the  ending 
of  a  Christmas  pantomime.  Indeed,  the  entire  tale  is  perfectly 
adapted  to  such  a  "  dramatization." 

I  have  been  told  by  an  old  Passamaquodcly  woman  that  the 
name  of  the  monster  who  swallowed  the  stream  was  Hahk-lee- 
be-mo. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  121 

"  And  who  is  he  ?  "  inquired  the  Master. 

"  It  is  the  mighty  Wasis"  she  replied,  "  and  there 
he  sits  ;  and  I  warn  you  that  if  you  meddle  with  him 
you  will  be  in  sore  trouble." 

Now  Wasis  was  the  Baby.  And  he  sat  on  the 
floor  sucking  a  piece  of  maple -sugar,  greatly  con 
tented,  troubling  no  one. 

As  the  Lord  of  Men  and  Beasts  had  never  married 
or  had  a  child,  he  knew  naught  of  the  way  of  manag 
ing  children.  Therefore  he  was  quite  certain,  as  is 
the  wont  of  such  people,  that  he  knew  all  about  it. 
So  he  turned  to  Baby  with  a  bewitching  smile  and 
bade  him  come  to  him. 

Then  Baby  smiled  again,  but  did  not  budge.  And 
the  Master  spake  sweetly  and  made  his  voice  like  that 
of  the  summer  bird,  but  it  was  of  no  avail,  for  Wasis 
sat  still  and  sucked  his  maple-sugar. 

Then  the  Master  frowned  and  spoke  terribly,  and 
ordered  Wasis  to  come  crawling  to  him  immediately. 
And  Baby  burst  out  into  crying  and  yelling,  but  did 
not  move  for  all  that. 

Then,  since  he  could  do  but  one  thing  more,  the 
Master  had  recourse  to  magic.  He  used  his  most 
awful  spells,  and  sang  the  songs  which  raise  the  dead 
and  scare  the  devils.  And  Wasis  sat  and  looked  on 
admiringly,  and  seemed  to  find  it  very  interesting,  but 
all  the  same  he  never  moved  an  inch. 

So  Glooskap  gave  it  up  in  despair,  and  Wasis,  sit 
ting  on  the  floor  in  the  sunshine,  went  goo  !  goo  !  and 
crowed. 


122  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

And  to  this  day  when  you  see  a  babe  well  con 
tented,  going  goo  /  goo  /  and  crowing,  and  no  one 
can  tell  why,  know  that  it  is  because  he  remembers 
the  time  when  he  overcame  the  Master  who  had  con 
quered  all  the  world.  For  of  all  the  beings  that  have 
ever  been  since  the  beginning,  Baby  is  alone  the  only 
invincible  one.1 

How  the  great  Glooskap  fought  the  Giant  Sorcerers  at 
Saco,  and  turned  them  into  Fish. 

(Penobscot.) 
Nkarnayoo,  of  old  times :  Woodenit  atok  hagen 

1  I  am  indebted  for  this  "  miirchen  "  to  Maria  Saksis,  a  very 
intelligent  Penobscot  woman,  a  widow  of  a  former  governor, 
whom  I  met  at  North  Conway,  in  the  White  Mountains,  N.  H. 
In  her  dialect  Glooskap  is  invariably  called  Glus-gah-be.  She 
told  it  with  that  admirable  dry  drollery,  characteristic  of  a  good 
story-teller  in  a  race  where  there  are  no  bad  ones.  The  exquisite 
humor  and  humanity  of  this  little  legend,  placed  as  a  pendant  to 
the  stupendous  successes  of  the  giant  hero,  are  such  as  to  entitle 
its  Indian  author  to  rank  as  a  genius.  I  have  frequently  asserted 
that  these  Wabanaki  or  Northeastern  Algonquin  tales  bore  to 
those  of  the  West  the  apparent  relation  of  originals  to  poor 
copies.  Let  the  reader  compare  this,  which  is  given  as  nearly 
word  for  word  as  was  possible  from  the  Indian  narrative,  with 
that  of  Mauobozho-Hiawatha's  effort  to  compete  with  a  baby. 
The  Cherokee  account  is  that,  seeing  an  infant  sucking  its  own 
toe,  he  tried  to  do  the  same,  and  failed.  It  is  in  accounting  for 
the  unaccountable  crowing  of  Baby  that  the  point  of  the  Penob 
scot  story  lies.  Of  this  there  is  no  mention  made  in  the  Western 
tale,  which  is  utterly  wanting  in  any  feeling  as  to  the  power  of 
childhood  or  its  charm  over  the  strongest.  A  real  Indian  tale 
may  always  be  assumed  to  be  ancient  when  it  is  told  to  set  forth 
an  origin.  This  gives  the  origin  of  a  baby's  crowing. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  123 

Glusgalibe.  This  is  a  story  of  Glooskap  (P.).  There 
was  a  father  who  had  three  sons  and  a  daughter: 
they  were  nittoulin,  or  mighty  magicians  ;  they  were 
giants ;  they  ate  men,  women,  and  children ;  they  did 
everything  that  was  wicked  and  horrible ;  and  the 
world  grew  tired  of  them  and  of  all  their  abomina 
tions.  Yet  when  this  family  \vas  young,  Glooskap  had 
been  their  friend ;  he  had  made  the  father  his  adopted 
father,  the  brothers  his  brothers,  the  sister  his  sister.1 
Yet  as  they  grew  older,  and  he  began  to  hear  on  every 
side  of  their  wickedness,  he  said :  "I  will  go  among 
them  and  find  if  this  be  true.  And  if  it  be  so,  they 
shall  die.  I  will  not  spare  one  of  those  who  oppress 
and  devour  men,  I  do  not  care  who  he  may  be." 

This  family  was  at  Samgadihawk,  or  Saco,  on  the 
sandy  field  which  is  in  the  Intervale  or  the  summer 
bed  of  the  Saco  River,  in  the  El-now-e-bit,  the  White 
Mountains,  between  Geh- sit- wah-zuch2  and  K' tehee 
penahbesk,3  and  near  Oonahgemessuk  weegeet,  the 
Home  of  the  Water  Fairies.4 

1  The  Indians  make  formal  adoptions  of  relatives  of  every 
grade,  and  in  addition  to  this  use  all  the  terms  of  relationship  as 
friendly  greetings.     This  is  in  fact  made  apparent  in  all  the  sto 
ries  in  this  collection. 

2  Geh-sit-wah-zuch,  "  many  mountains  "  (Pen.).     Mount  Kear- 
sarge,  so  called  from  the  several  lesser  peaks  around  it. 

8  K?tchee  penabesk,  "the  great  rock,"  a  much  more  sensible 
and  appropriate  name  than  that  of  "  Cathedral  Rocks,"  which 
has  been  bestowed  upon  it  ;  also  chee  penabsk. 

4  Also  called  from  a  legend,  Oonahgemessuk  k'tubbee,  the  Water 
Fairies'  Spring.  This  appropriate  and  beautiful  name  has  been 


124  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Now  the  old  man,  the  father  of  the  evil  magicians 
and  his  adopted  father,  had  only  one  eye,  and  was 
half  gray.1  And  Glooskap  made  himself  like  him,  — 
there  was  not  between  them  the  difference  of  a  hair ; 
and  having  this  form,  he  entered  the  wigwam  and  sat 
down  by  the  old  man.  And  the  brothers,  who  killed 
everybody,  not  sparing  one  living  soul,  hearing  a  talk 
ing,  looked  in  slyly,  and  seeing  the  new-comer,  so  like 
their  father  that  they  knew  not  which  was  which,  said, 
"  This  is  a  great  magician.  But  he  shall  be  tried  ere 
he  goes,  and  that  bitterly." 

Then  the  sister  took  the  tail  of  a  whale,  and  cooked 
it  for  the  stranger  to  eat.  But  as  it  lay  before  him, 
on  the  platter  and  on  his  knees,  the  elder  brother  en 
tered,  and  saying  rudely,  "  This  is  too  good  for  a  beg 
gar  like  you,"  took  it  away  to  his  own  wigwam.  Then 
Glooskap  spoke :  "  That  which  was  given  to  me  was 
mine ;  therefore  I  take  it  again."  And  sitting  still  he 
simply  wished  for  it,  and  it  came  flying  into  the  plat 
ter  where  it  was  before.  So  he  ate  it. 

Then  the  brothers  said,  "  Indeed,  he  is  a  great  ma 
gician.  But  he  shall  be  tried  ere  he  goes,  and  that 
bitterly." 

rejected  in  favor  of  the  ridiculously  rococo  term  "  Diana's  Bath." 
As  there  is  a  "  Diana's  Bath  "  at  almost  every  summer  watering 
place  in  America,  North  Conway  must  of  course  have  one.  The 
absolute  antipathy  which  the  majority  of  Americans  manifest  for 
the  aboriginal  names,  even  in  a  translation,  is  really  remarkable. 
1  This  would  directly  connect  him  with  the  beings  which  are 
half  stone,  like  the  Oonahgemessuk,  or  water-goblins,  the  dwellers 
in  Katahdin,  and  the  Eskimo  elves.  This  will  be  referred  to 
again. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  125 

When  he  h  id  eaten,  they  brought  in  a  mighty  bone, 
the  jaw  of  a  whale,  and  the  eldest  brother,  with  ^reat 
ado,  and  using  both  his  arms  and  all  his  strength,  bent 
it  a  little.  Then  he  handed  it  to  Glooskap,  who  with 
his  thumb  and  fingers  snapped  it  like  a  pipe-stem. 
And  the  brothers  said  again,  "  Truly,  this  is  a  great 
maoician.  But  he  shall  for  all  that  be  tried  ere  he 

O 

goes,  and  that  bitterly." 

Then  they  brought  a  great  pipe  full  of  the  strongest 
tobacco  ;  no  man  not  a  magician  could  have  smoked 
it.  And  it  was  passed  round  :  every  one  smoked  ;  the 
brothers  blew  the  smoke  through  their  nostrils.  But 
Glooskap  filled  it  full,  and,  lighting  it,  burnt  all  the 
tobacco  to  ashes  at  one  pull,  and  blew  all  the  smoke 
through  his  nostrils  at  one  puff.  Then  the  brothers 
said  again  in  anger,  "  This  is  indeed  a  great  magician. 
Yet  he  shall  be  tried  again  ere  he  goes,  and  that  bit 
terly."  But  they  never  said  it  again. 

And  they  still  tried  to  smoke  with  him,  and  the 
wigwam  was  closed  ;  they  hoped  to  smother  him  in 
smoke,  but  he  sat  and  puffed  away  as  if  he  had  been 
on  a  mountain-top,  till  they  could  bear  it  no  longer. 
And  one  said,  "  This  is  idle ;  let  us  go  and  play  at 
ball."  The  place  where  they  were  to  play  was  on  the 
sandy  plain  of  Samgadihawk,  or  Saco,  on  the  bend  of 
the  river.1  And  the  game  begun ;  but  Glooskap  found 
that  the  ball  witji  which  they  played  was  a  hideous 
skull ;  it  was  alive  and  snapped  at  his  heels,  and  had 

1  I  have  an  Indian  stone  pestle,  or  hominy  pounder,  which  I 
picked  up  on  the  site  of  this  ball-play. 


126  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

he  been  as  other  men  and  it  had  bitten  him,  it  would 
have  taken  his  foot  off.  Then  Glooskap  laughed,  and 
said,  "  So  this  is  the  game  you  play.  Good,  but  let 
us  all  play  with  our  own  balls."  So  he  stepped  up  to 
a  tree  on  the  edge  of  the  river-bed  and  broke  off  the 
end  of  a  bough,  and  it  turned  into  a  skull  ten  times 
more  terrible  than  the  other.  And  the  magicians  ran 
before  it  as  it  chased  them  as  a  lynx  chases  rabbits ; 
they  were  entirely  beaten.  Then  Glooskap  stamped 
on  the  sand,  and  the  waters  rose  and  came  rushing 
fearfully  from  the  mountains  adown  the  river-bed ;  the 
whole  land  rang  with  their  roar.  Now  Glooskap  sang 
a  magic  song,  which  changes  all  beings,  and  the  three 
brothers  and  their  father  became  the  chinahmess,  a 
fish  which  is  as  long  and  large  as  a  man,  and  they 
went  headlong  down  on  the  flood,  to  the  deep  sea,  to 
dwell  there  forever.  And  the  magicians  had  on,  each 
of  them,  a  wampum  collar ;  wherefore  the  chinahmess 
has  beneath  its  head,  as  one  may  say,  round  its  neck, 
the  wampum  collar,  as  may  be  seen  to  this  day.  And 
they  were  mighty  m'teoulin  in  their  time ;  but  they 
were  tried  before  they  went,  and  that  bitterly. 

Yes,  seewass,  my  brother,  this  is  a  true  story.  For 
Glus-gah-be  was  a  great  man  in  his  day,  and  the  day 
will  come  when  I  shall  go  to  him  and  see  him.1 

1  This  legend  is  from  a  single  authority,  Maria  Saksis. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  127 

How  Glooskap  went  to  England  and  France,  and  was  the 

first  to  make  America  known  to  the  Europeans. 

(Passamaquoddy.) 

There  was  an  Indian  woman :  she  was  a  Woodchuck 
(Mon-in-kwess,  P.).  She  had  lost  a  boy;  she  always 
thought  of  him.  Once  there  came  to  her  a  strange 
boy  ;  he  called  her  mother. 

He  had  a  pipe  with  which  he  could  call  all  the  ani 
mals.  Pie  said,  "  Mother,  if  you  let  any  one  have  this 
pipe  we  shall  starve." 

"  Where  did  you  get  it  ?  " 

"  A  stranger  gave  it  to  me." 

One  clay  the  boy  was  making  a  canoe.  The  woman 
took  the  pipe  and  blew  it.  There  came  a  deer  and  a 
qwah-beet,  —  a  beaver.  They  came  running ;  the  deer 
came  first,  the  beaver  next.  The  beaver  had  a  stick 
in  his  mouth ;  he  gave  it  to  her,  and  said,  "  When 
ever  you  wish  to  kill  anything,  though  it  were  half  a 
mile  off,  point  this  stick  at  it."  She  pointed  it  at  the 
deer ;  it  fell  dead. 

The  boy  was  Glooskap.  He  was  building  a  stone 
canoe.  Every  morning  he  went  forth,  and  was  gone 
all  day.  He  worked  a  year  at  it.  The  mother  had 
killed  many  animals.  When  the  great  canoe  was  fin 
ished  he  took  his  (adopted)  mother  to  see  it.  He  said 
that  he  would  make  sails  for  it.  She  asked  him,  "  Of 
what  will  you  make  them  ? "  He  answered,  "  Of 
leaves."  She  replied,  "  Let  the  leaves  alone.  I  have 
something  better."  She  had  many  buffalo  skins  al- 


128  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

ready  tanned,  and  said,  "  Take  as  many  as  you 
need." 

He  took  his  pipe.  He  piped  for  moose ;  he  piped  for 
elk  and  for  bear :  they  came.  He  pointed  his  stick  at 
them :  they  were  slain.  He  dried  their  meat,  and  so 
provisioned  his  great  canoe.  To  carry  water  he  killed 
many  seals  ;  he  filled  their  bladders  with  water. 

So  they  sailed  across  the  sea.  This  was  before  the 
white  people  had  ever  heard  of  America.  The  white 
men  did  not  discover  this  country  first  at  all.  Gloos- 
kap  discovered  England,  and  told  them  about  it.  He 
got  to  London.  The  people  had  never  seen  a  canoe 
before.  They  came  flocking  down  to  look  at  it. 

The  Woodchuck  had  lost  her  boy.  This  boy  it  was 
who  first  discovered  America  (England  ?).  This  boy 
could  walk  on  the  water  and  fly  up  to  the  sky.1  He 
took  his  mother  to  England.  They  offered  him  a 
large  ship  for  his  stone  canoe.  He  refused  it.  He 
feared  lest  the  ship  should  burn.  They  offered  him 
servants.  He  refused  them.  They  gave  him  presents 
which  almost  overloaded  the  canoe.  They  gave  him 
an  anchor  and  an  English  flag. 

He  and  his  mother  went  to  France.  The  French 
people  fired  cannon  at  him  till  the  afternoon.  They 
could  not  hurt  the  stone  canoe.  In  the  night  Gloos- 
kap  drew  all  their  men-of-war  ashore.  Next  morning 
the  French  saw  this.  They  said,  "  Who  did  this  ? " 
He  answered,  "  I  did  it." 

1  This  tale  was  taken  down  in  very  strange  and  confused  Eng 
lish.  The  first  part  is  in  iny  notes  almost  unintelligible. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  129 

They  took  him  prisoner.  They  put  him  into  a  great 
cannon  and  fired  it  off.  They  looked  into  the  cannon, 
and  there  he  sat  smoking  his  stone  pipe,  knocking  the 
ashes  out. 

The  king  heard  how  they  had  treated  him.  He  said 
it  was  wrong.  He  who  could  do  such  deeds  must  be 
a  great  man.  He  sent  for  Glooskap,  who  replied,  "  I 
do  not  want  to  see  your  king.  I  came  to  this  country 
to  have  my  mother  baptized  as  a  Catholic."  They 
sent  boats,  they  sent  a  coach ;  he  was  taken  to  the 
king,  who  put  many  questions  to  him. 

He  wished  to  have  his  mother  christened.  It  was 
done.  They  called  her  Molly.1  Therefore  to  this  day 
all  woodchucks  are  called  Molly.  They  went  down  to 
the  shore ;  to  please  the  king  Glooskap  drew  all  the 
ships  into  the  sea  again.  So  the  king  gave  him  what 
he  wanted,  and  he  returned  home.  Since  that  time 
white  men  have  come  to  America. 

This  is  an  old  Eskimo  tale,  greatly  modernized  and 
altered.  The  Eskimo  believe  in  a  kind  of  sorcerers 
or  spirits,  who  have  instruments  which  they  merely 
point  at  people  or  animals,  to  kill  them.  I  think  that 
the  Indian  who  told  me  this  story  (P.)  was  aware 
of  its  feebleness,  and  was  ashamed  to  attribute  such 
nonsense  to  Glooskap,  and  therefore  made  the  hero  an 
Indian  named  Woodchuck.  But  among  Mr.  Rand's 

1  The  Indians  pronounce  the  word  Marie  Mahli  or  Molly. 
Mahlinskwess,  "  Miss  Molly,"  sounds  like  Mon-in-kwess,  a  wood- 
chuck.  Hence  this  very  poor  pun. 


130  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Micmac  tales  it  figures  as  a  later  tribute  to  the  mem 
ory  of  the  great  hero. 

One  version  of  this  story  was  given  to  me  by  Tomah 
Josephs,  another  by  Mrs.  W.  Wallace  Brown.  In  the 
latter  Glooskap's  canoe  is  a  great  ship,  with  all  kinds 
of  birds  for  sailors.  In  the  Shawnee  legend  of  the 
Celestial  Sisters  (Hiawatha  Legends),  a  youth  who 
goes  to  the  sky  must  take  with  him  one  of  every  kind 
of  bird.  This  indicates  that  the  Glooskap  voyage 
meant  a  trip  to  heaven. 

How  Glooskap  is  making  Arroivs,  and  preparing  for  a 

Great  Battle.     The  Twilight  of  the  Indian  Gods. 

(Passamaquoddy.) 

"Is  GloosJcap  living  yet?"  "  Yes,  far  away ;  no 
one  knows  where.  Some  say  he  sailed  away  in  his 
stone  canoe  beyond  the  sea,  to  the  east,  but  he  will  re 
turn  in  it  one  day ;  others,  that  he  went  to  the  west. 
One  story  tells  that  while  he  was  alive  those  who 
went  to  him  and  found  him  could  have  their  wishes 
given  to  them.  But  there  is  a  story  that  if  one  travels 
long,  and  is  not  afraid,  he  may  still  find  the  great 
sagamore  (so^mo).  Yes.  He  lives  in  a  very  great,  a 
very  long  wigwam.  He  always  making  arrows.  One 
side  of  the  lodge  is  full  of  arrows  now.  They  so 
thick  as  that.  When  it  is  all  quite  full,  he  will  come 
forth  and  make  war.  He  never  allows  any  one  to 
enter  the  wigwam  while  he  is  making  these  arrows." 

"  And  on  ivhom  will  lie  make  war  ?  "  "  He  will 
make  war  on  all,  kill  all ;  there  will  be  no  more  world, 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  131 

—  world  all  gone.  Dtmno  how  quick,  —  mebbe  long 
time ;  all  be  dead  then,  mebbe,  —  guess  it  will  be 
long  time." 

"  Are  any  to  be  saved  by  any  one  ?  "  "  Dunno. 
3fe  hear  how  some  say  world  all  burn  up  some  day, 
water  all  boil  all  fire  ;  some  good  ones  be  taken  up  in 
good  heavens,  but  me  dumio,  —  me  just  hear  that. 
Only  hear  so." 

It  was  owing  to  a  mere  chance  question  that  this 
account  of  the  Last  Day  was  obtained  from  an  Indian. 
It  was  related  to  Mrs.  W.  Wallace  Brown,  of  Calais, 
Maine,  by  Mrs.  Le  Cool,  an  old  Passamaquoddy  In 
dian.  It  casts  a  great  light  on  the  myth  of  Glooskap, 
since  it  appears  that  a  day  is  to  come  when,  like  Ar 
thur,  Barbarossa,  and  other  heroes  in  retreat,  he  is  to 
come  forth  at  a  new  twilight  of  the  gods,  exterminate 
the  Iglesmani,  and  establish  an  eternal  happy  hunt 
ing-ground.  This  preparing  for  a  great  final  battle  is 
more  suggestive  of  Norse  or  Scandinavian  influence 
than  of  aught  else.  It  is  certainly  not  of  a  late  date, 
or  Christian,  but  it  is  very  much  like  the  Edda  and 
Eagnarok.  Heine  does  not  observe,  in  the  Twilight 
of  the  Gods,  that  Jupiter  or  Mars  intend  to  return 
and  conquer  the  world.  But  the  Norsemen  expected 
such  a  fight,  when  arrows  would  fly  like  hail,  and 
Glooskap  is  supposed  to  be  deliberaijly  preparing 
for  it. 

A  very  curious  point  remains  to  be  noted  in  this 
narration.  When  the  Indians  speak  of  Christian,  or 


132  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

white,  or  civilized  teachings,  they  say,  "  I  heard,"  or, 
"  I  have  been  told."  This  they  never  do  as  regards 
their  own  ancient  traditions.  When  Mrs.  Le  Cool 
said  that  she  "  had  heard "  that  some  were  to  be 
taken  up  into  good  heavens,  she  declared,  in  her  way, 
that  this  was  what  Christians  said,  but  that  she  was 
not  so  sure  of  it.  The  Northeastern  Algonquin  al 
ways  distinguish  very  accurately  between  their  an 
cient  lore  and  that  derived  from  the  whites.  I  have 
often  heard  French  fairy  tales  and  2Esop's  fables  In- 
dianized  to  perfection,  but  the  narrator  always  knew 
that  they  were  not  N'Karnayoo,  "  of  the  old  time." 

Glooskap  is  now  living  in  a  Norse-like  Asa-heim ; 
but  there  is  to  come  a  day  when  the  arrows  will  be 
ready,  and  he  will  go  forth  and  slay  all  the  wicked. 
Malsum  the  Wolf,  his  twin  brother,  the  typical  colos 
sal  type  of  all  Evil,  will  come  to  life,  with  all  the 
giant  cannibals,  witches,  and  wild  devils  slain  of  old  ; 
but  the  champion  will  gird  on  his  magic  belt,  and  the 
arrows  will  fly  in  a  rain  as  at  Kagnarok :  the  hero  will 
come  sailing  in  his  wonderful  canoe,  which  expands  to 
hold  an  army.  Thus  it  will  be  on 

"  That  day  of  wrath,  that  dreadful  day, 
When  heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away," 

with  all  things,  in  blood  and  death  and  fire.  Then 
there  will  come  the  eternal  happy  hunting-grounds. 

If  this  was  derived  from  Christian  priests,  it  must 
be  admitted  that  it  has  changed  wonderfully  on  the 
way.  It  is  to  me  very  heathen,  grimly  archaic,  and 
with  the  strong  stamp  of  an  original.  Its  resem- 


GLOOSKAP    THE  DIVINITY.  133 

blance  to  the  Norse  is  striking.  Either  the  Norse 
men  told  it  to  the  Eskimo  and  the  Indians,  or  the  lat 
ter  to  the  Norsemen.  None  know,  after  all,  what  was 
going  on  for  ages  in  the  early  time,  up  about  Jotun- 
heim,  in  the  North  Atlantic  I  Vessels  came  to  New 
foundland  to  fish  for  cod  since  unknown  antiquity, 
and,  returning,  reported  that  they  had  been  to  Tar- 
tary. 

It  may  be  assumed  at  once  that  this  Indian  Last 
Battle  of  the  Giants,  or  of  the  good  hero  giants  against 
the  Evil,  led  by  the  Malsum-Fenris  Wolf,  was  not  de 
rived  from  the  Canadian  French.  The  influence  of 
the  latter  is  to  be  found  even  among  the  Chippewas, 
but  they  never  dealt  in  myths  like  this. 

It  is  very  remarkable  indeed  that  the  one  great 
principle  of  the  Norse  mythology  is  identical  with  that 
of  the  Indian.  So  long  as  man  shall  make  war  and 
heroism  his  standard,  just  so  long  his  hero  god  exists. 
But  there  will  come  a  day  when  mankind  can  war  no 
more,  —  when  higher  civilization  must  prevail.  Then 
there  will  be  a  great  final  war,  and  death  of  the  he 
roes,  and  death  of  their  foes,  and  after  all  a  new 

world. 

"  Then  shall  another  come 

yet  mightier, 

although  I  dare  not 

his  name  declare. 

Few  may  see  <- 

further  forth 

than  when  Odin 

meets  the  wolf." 

(HindluLod,  42.) 


134  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

The  Norsemen  may  have  drawn  this  from  a  Chris 
tian  source  ;  but  the  Indian,  to  judge  by  form,  spirit, 
and  expression,  would  seem  to  have  taken  it  from  the 
Norse. 

How  Glooskap  found  the  Summer. 

In  the  long  ago  time  when  people  lived  always  in 
the  early  red  morning,  before  sunrise,  before  the 
Squid  to  neck  was  peopled  as  to-day,  Glooskap  went 
very  far  north,  where  all  was  ice. 

He  came  to  a  wigwam.  Therein  he  found  a  giant, 
a  great  giant,  for  he  was  Winter.  Glooskap  entered  ; 
he  sat  down.  Then  Winter  gave  him  a  pipe  ;  he 
•smoked,  and  the  giant  told  tales  of  the  old  times. 

The  charm  was  011  him  ;  it  was  the  Frost.  The  giant 
talked  on  and  froze,  and  Glooskap  fell  asleep.  He 
slept  for  six  months,  like  a  toad.  Then  the  charm 
fled,  and  he  awoke.  He  went  his  way  home ;  he  went 
to  the  south,  and  at  every  step  it  grew  warmer,  and 
the  flowers  began  to  come  up  and  talk  to  him. 

He  came  to  where  there  were  many  little  ones 
dancing  in  the  forest ;  their  queen  was  Summer.  I 
am  singing  the  truth :  it  was  Summer,  the  most  beau 
tiful  one  ever  born.  He  caught  her  up  ;  he  kept  her 
by  a  crafty  trick.  The  Master  cut  a  moose-hide  into 
a  long  cord ;  as  he  ran  away  with  Summer  he  let  the 
end  trail  behind  him. 

They,  the  fairies  of  Light,  pulled  at  the  cord,  but 
as  Glooskap  ran,  the  cord  ran  out,  and  though  they 
pulled  he  left  them  far  away.  So  he  came  to  the  lodge 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  135 

of  Winter,  but  now  he  had  Summer  in  his  bosom ; 
and  Winter  welcomed  him,  for  he  hoped  to  freeze  him 
again  to  sleep.  I  am  singing  the  song  of  Summer. 

But  this  time  the  Master  did  the  talking.  This 
time  his  m'teoidin  was  the  strongest.  And  ere  long 
the  sweat  ran  down  Winter's  face,  and  then  he  melted 
more  and  quite  away,  as  did  the  wigwam.  Then  every 
thing  awoke ;  the  grass  grew,  the  fairies  came  out, 
and  the  snow  ran  down  the  rivers,  carrying  away  the 
dead  leaves.  Then  Glooskap  left  Summer  with  them, 
and  went  home. 

This  poem  —  for  it  is  such  —  was  related  to  Mrs. 
W.  Wallace  Brown  by  an  Indian  named  Neptune.  It 
appears  to  be  the  completer  form  of  the  beautiful 
allegory  of  Winter  and  Spring  given  in  the  Hiawatha 
Legends  as  Peboan  and  Seegwum  (Odjibwa).  The 
struggle  between  Spring  and  Winter,  Summer  and 
Winter,  or  Heat  and  Cold,  represented  as  incarnate 
human  or  mythic  beings,  forms  the  subject  of  several 
Indian  legends,  as  it  does  a  part  of  the  Hymiskvida, 
in  the  Edda.  The  German  J.  B.  Friedreich  (Symbo- 
lik  der  Natur,  Wiirzburg,  1859)  remarks  that  in  the 
Bible,  Job  xxxviii.  28,  and  in  the  Song  of  the  Three 
in  the  Fiery  Furnace,  Ice  and  Snow  are  spoken  of  as 
intelligences. 

Heat  and  cold,  in  classic  times,  were  supposed  to  be 
united,  yet  in  conflict,  in  the  lightning  and  hail  (Virgil, 
^n.  VIII.  429),  the  symbol  for  this  being  a  twisted 
horn.  In  the  legend  of  the  Culloo  the  frost  giantess 


136  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

can  only  be  killed  by  a  crooked  horn  thrust  into  her 
ear.  The  horn  darts  out  at  once  into  incredible, 
irregular  length,  and  evidently  means  lightning.  In 
the  Edda  the  he-goat  is,  on  account  of  his  horns,  the 
symbol  of  lightning  and  storm.  (Schwenk,  Sinnbil- 
den  der  alten  Volker.)  The  Giala-horn  of  the  Edda 
(Nyer  up.  Diet.  Scan.  Mythol.)  is  the  thunder  which 
summons  the  Elves.  "  Miolner,  the  hammer  of  Thor, 
with  which  he  kills  frost  giants,  is  the  lightning." 
(Kirclmer,  Thor's  Donnerkeil,  Neu  Strelitz,  1853,  p. 
60.)  The  coincidence  of  the  symbols  in  the  Edda 
with  that  of  the  lightning  horn  in  the  Indian  legend 
is  very  curious,  if  nothing  more. 

The  cord  which  Glooskap  unrolls,  and  with  which 
he  deceives  the  fairies,  who  think  they  have  him  fast, 
while  he  is  escaping,  means  delusive  speech  or  plau 
sible  talk.  To  "  talk  like  paying  out  rope  "  is  an  old 

simile. 

"  Speech  runes  thou  must  know, 

If  thou  wilt  that  no  one 

for  injury  with  hate  requite  thee. 

Those  thou  must  wind, 

Those  thou  must  wrap  round  (thee), 

Those  thou  must  altogether  place 

in  the  assembly, 

where  people  have 

into  full  court  to  go."         (Sigrdrifumal.) 

This  is  a  merely  accidental  coincidence,  but  it  illus 
trates  the  meaning  of  the  myth.  In  both  cases  it  is 
"  wound  or  wrapped  around "  and  rapidly  unrolled, 
and  the  same  simile. 


GLOOSKAP    THE  DIVINITY.  137 

The  following  poem  on  Glooskap  may  be  appropri 
ately  placed  in  this  work.  The  allusion  to  the  agates 
of  Cape  Blomidon  refers  to  a  tradition  given  by  S.  T. 
Rand,  which  states  that  when  Glooskap  would  make 
his  adopted  grandmother  young  again  he  created  the 
brilliant  stones,  which  are  still  found  at  that  place,  to 
adorn  her.1 

THE  LEGEND  OF  GLOOSKAP. 

Bathed  in  the  sunshine  still  as  of  yore 

Stretches  the  peaceful  Acadian  shore  ; 

Fertile  meadows  and  fields  of  grain 

Smile  as  they  drink  the  summer  rain. 

There  like  a  sentinel,  grim  and  gray, 
Blomidon  stands  at  the  head  of  the  bay, 
And  the  famous  Fundy  tides,  at  will, 
Sweep  into  Minas  Basin  still. 

With  wondrous  beauty  the  Gaspereaux 
Winds  its  way  to  the  sea  below, 
And  the  old  Acadian  Grand  Pre 
Is  the  home  of  prosperous  men  to-day. 

The  place  where  Basil  the  blacksmith  wrought, 
In  the  glow  of  his  forge,  is  a  classic  spot, 
And  every  summer  tourists  are  seen 

In  the  fairy  haunts  of  Evangeline. 

v. 

But  the  old  Acadian  woods  and  shores, 
Rich  in  beautiful  legend  stores, 
Were  once  the  home  of  an  older  race, 
WTho  wove  their  epics  with  untaught  grace. 

1  Youth's  Companion. 


138  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Long  ere  the  dikes  that  guard  for  aye 
From  the  merciless  tides  the  old  Grand  Prd, 
Built  by  the  Frenchman's  tireless  hands, 
Grew  round  the  rich  Acadian  lands, 

The  Micmac  sailed  in  his  birch  canoe 
Over  the  Basin,  calm  and  blue  ; 
Speared  the  salmon,  his  heart's  desire, 
Danced  and  slept  by  his  wigwam  fire  ; 

Far  in  the  depth  of  the  forest  gray 
Hunted  the  moose  the  livelong  day, 
While  the  mother  sang  to  her  Micmac  child 
Songs  of  the  forest,  weird  and  wild. 

Over  the  tribe,  with  jealous  eye, 
Watched  the  Great  Spirit  from  on  high, 
While  on  the  crest  of  Blomidon 
Glooskap,  the  God-man,  dwelt  alone. 

No  matter  how  far  his  feet  might  stray 
From  the  favorite  haunts  of  his  tribe  away, 
Glooskap  could  hear  the  Indian's  prayer, 
And  send  some  message  of  comfort  there. 

Glooskap  it  was  who  taught  the  use 

Of  the  bow  and  the  spear,  and  sent  the  moose 

Into  the  Indian  hunter's  hands  ; 

Glooskap  who  strewed  the  shining  sands 

Of  the  tide-swept  beach  of  the  stormy  bay 
With  amethysts  purple  and  agates  gray, 
And  brought  to  each  newly  wedded  pair 
The  Great  Spirit's  benediction  fair. 


GLOOSKAP   THE  DIVINITY.  139 

But  the  white  man  came,  and  with  ruthless  hand 
Cleared  the  forests  and  sowed  the  land, 
And  drove  from  their  haunts  by  the  sunny  shore 
Micmac  and  moose,  forevermore. 

And  Glooskap,  saddened  and  sore  distressed, 
Took  his  way  to  the  unknown  West, 
And  the  Micmac  kindled  his  wigwam  fire 
Far  from  the  grave  of  his  child  and  his  sire  ; 

Where  now,  as  he  weaves  his  basket  gay, 
And  paddles  his  birch  canoe  away, 
He  dreams  of  the  happy  time  for  men 
When  Glooskap  shall  come  to  his  tribe  again. 

ARTHUR  WENTWORTH  EATON. 


THE  MEEEY  TALES  OF  LOX,   THE  MIS 
CHIEF  MAKEE, 

COMMONLY   KNOWN   AS   THE   INDIAN  DEVIL. 

Of  the  Surprising  and  Singular  Adventures  of  two  Water 
Fairies  who  were  also  Weasels,  and  how  they  each  be 
came  the  Bride  of  a  Star.  Including  the  Mysterious 
and  Wonderful  Works  of  Lox,  the  Great  Indian  Devil, 
who  rose  from  the  Dead. 

(Micmac  and  Passamaquoddy.) 

Wee-zig-yik-keseyook.  "  Of  old  times."  Far  back 
in  the  forest,  by  a  brook,  dwelt  two  young  men,  Abis- 
tanooch,  the  Marten,  and  Team,  the  Moose.  Of  these 
each  had  a  wigwam,  and  therewith  a  grandmother  who 
kept  house.  And  Team  hunted  and  worked  industri 
ously,  but  Master  Marten  was  greatly  moalet  (M.), 
which  signifies  one  who  liveth  upon  his  neighbors,  de 
pending  on  their  good  nature,  even  as  he  that  planteth 
corn  and  beans  depends  upon  the  pleasant  smiles  of 
the  sun ;  whence  it  came  to  pass  that  wherever  vict 
uals  were  in  store  there  too  his  presence  did  greatly 
abound. 

Now  it  happened  that  one  day  Team,  the  Moose,  had 
killed  a  bear,  and  brought  home  a  single  load  of  the 
meat,  leaving  the  rest  to  be  looked  after  anon.  And 
being  thrifty,  and  not  caring  to  feed  those  who  fed 


THE  MERRY  TALES  OF  LOX.  141 

him  not,  neither  did  they  thank,  he  said  unto  himself, 
and  also  to  his  grandmother,  "  Truly,  the  eyes  of  Mar 
ten  shall  not  see  this  thing,  his  nose  shall  not  smell 
thereof,  neither  shall  his  tongue  taste  it ;  so  let  not  the 
tidings  of  our  good  luck  go  forth  from  the  wigwam." 
"  Yes,"  replied  the  old  woman,  "  and  well  and  wisely 
them  speakest,  my  son.  But  we  have  this  day  broken 
our  kettle,  while  Marten  has  brought  in  a  new  one. 
Behold,  I  will  go  and  borrow  it,  and  having  cooked  in 
it  I  will  wash  and  wipe  it,  so  that  there  shall  be  no 
sign  of  what  we  did  therewith,  and  so  return  it." 

Now  this  was  done,  but  he  who  is  moalet  and  a 
haunter  of  feasts  is  like  a  hunter  of  beasts  :  he  knows 
well  from  a  small  sign  where  there  is  a  large  load, 
and  the  borrowing  of  kettles  means  the  boiling  of 
victuals  therein.  So  having  in  him  somewhat  of 
sorcery,  he  did  but  step  to  his  friend's  wigwam,  and, 
peeping  through  a  crevice,  saw  a  great  store  of  bear's 
meat.  And  when  the  grandmother  of  Moose  came 
unto  him  to  return  the  kettle,  just  as  she  entered  the 
lodge  there  arose  from  it  a  savory  steam,  and  look 
ing  in  it  was  full  of  well-cooked  food.  And  Marten 
thanked  her  greatly,  yet  she,  being  put  to  shame,  fled 
to  her  own  home.  But  Moose  said  it  wa^  no  matter, 
so  the  next  day  they  went  to  the  woods  together,  and 
all  was  well. 

Now  it  befell  Marten,  as  it  might  have  befallen  any 
other  man,  that  one  day  he  came  to  a  distant  and 
lonely  lake  in  the  mountains.  Yet  there,  stepping 
softly  as  a  cat  behind  the  rocks  himg  with  grapevines, 


142  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

he  heard  laughing  and  splashing,  and  a  pleasant  sound 
as  of  girls'  voices.  So,  peeping  carefully,  he  saw  many 
maids  merrily  bathing  in  the  lake  :  and  these  were  of 
the  fairy  race,  who  dwell  in  deep  waters  and  dark 
caves,  and  keep  away  from  mankind.  And  seeing 
their  garments  lying  on  the  shore,  and  beholding 
among  the  damsels  one  whom  he  desired  to  obtain,1 
Marten  quietly  slipped  along  unseen,  as  all  of  his 
species  can  do,  till  he  had  the  clothes  in  his  hands. 
For  being  tinctured  with  magic  and  learned  in  the 
lore  of  all  kind  of  goblins,  elves,  and  witches,  Master 
Marten  knew  that  when  Naiads  are  naked  and  a  man 
has  their  garments  he  holds  them  at  his  mercy.  For 
in  the  apparel  lies  their  fairy  power;  and  if  you 
doubt  it,  do  but  give  it  a  trial  and  see  for  yourself ! 

And  having  done  this,  the  merry  fellow  ran  inland 
with  a  brave  whoop,  which  the  fairies  hearing,  they 
in  a  great  rage  ran  after  the  ravisher  of  their  robes. 
But  she  whom  he  desired  outstripped  the  rest,  and 
when  she  approached  him  he  did  but  tap  her  lightly 
on  the  head  with  a  small  stick,  according  to  a  certain 
ancient  prescription  followed  in  Fairy -land,  which 
makes  of  a  woman  a  wife ;  whereupon  she,  according 

1  There  are  many  of  these  stories  which  indicate  passionate 
and  deeply  seated  attachment,  but  I  never  once  heard  a  real  In 
dian  say  that  man  or  woman  loved,  though  they  have  w'ords 
which  fully  express  it.  "  He  wanted  her "  is  the  nearest  ap 
proach  to  tenderness  which  I  have  ever  heard  from  them.  This 
is  not  the  result  of  a  want  of  feeling,  but  of  the  suppression  of  all 
manifestation  of  it,  to  which  every  red  man  is  trained  from 
earliest  infancy. 


THE  MERRY  TALES   OF  LOX.  143 

to  the  antique  rite,  being  astonished  to  find  herself  so 
suddenly  married,  fainted  dead  away,  and  was  carried 
off  in  peace.  And  as  for  the  clothes  of  the  others,  the 
Marten  gave  them  back  without  taking  fee  or  re 
wards. 

Then  Team,  the  Moose,  who  was  a  good  soul,  but 
not  wise  above  all  the  world,  coming  home  and  find 
ing  Marten  married,  wished  also  for  a  wife.  And 
having  heard  all  the  tale,  he  said,  "  Well,  if  it  is  no 
harder  than  that,  't  is  as  easy  as  sucking  a  honey 
suckle,  and  I  am  as  good  as  married."  And  going 
to  the  pond  in  the  mountains,  among  the  rocks  and 
behind  the  grapevines,  he  too  beheld  the  virgins  jump 
ing,  flapping,  splashing,  and  mischieving  merrily,  like 
mad  minxes,  in  the  water ;  whereat  he,  being  all  of  a 
rage,  as  it  were,  caught  up  the  clothes  of  these  poor 
maids  and  ran ;  she  whom  he  most  admired  catching 
up  with  him.  And  being  resolved  to  do  the  thing 
thoroughly,  he  grappled  up  a  great  club  and  gave  her 
a  bang  on  her  small  head,  which  stunned  her  indeed, 
and  that  forever,  inasmuch  as  she  was  slain  outright. 
So  the  Moose  remained  unmarried. 

Now  Team  was  one  of  the  kind  not  uncommon  in 
this  world,  who  hold  that  if  any  other  man  has  or  gets 
more  than  they  have,  then  they  are  deeply  wronged. 
And  it  had  come  to  pass  that  Master  Marten,  finding 
that  his  wife  yearned  greatly  for  the  society  of  her 
sisters,  offered  to  take  yet  another  of  them  in  mar 
riage,  merely  to  oblige  his  wife ;  for  in  such  a  kind 
of  benevolence  he  was  one  of  the  best  souls  that  ever 


144  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

lived,  and  rather  than  have  trouble  in  the  family  he 
would  have  wedded  all  the  pretty  girls  in  the  coun 
try.  So  going  as  before  to  the  pond  in  the  moun 
tains,  among  the  rocks  and  behind  the  grapevines, 
he,  by  the  same  device,  captured  yet  another  fairy, 
whom,  taking  home,  he  wedded. 

Yet  Team  took  this  sadly  to  heart,  and  willed  that 
Marten  should  give  him  this  last  spouse,  to  which 
Marten  would  in  nowise  agree.  Truly,  Team  argued 
earnestly  that  as  he  had  no  wife,  and  no  wisdom 
wherewith  to  win  one,  of  course  he  must  have  one 
of  Marten's,  or  that  Marten  should  go  and  get  him 
one.  To  which  Marten  replied  that  Moose  might 
skin  his  own  skunks,  and  fish  for  his  own  minnows, 
and  also  paddle  his  own  canoe  to  the  devil,  if  it  so 
pleased  him,  —  all  of  these  being  approved  Indian 
sayings  of  high  and  racy  antiquity.  Whereupon  Team 
sought  to  persuade  Marten  with  a  club,  who  gave  a 
soft  answer  by  shooting  a  flint-headed  arrow  through 
Team's  scalp-lock ;  and  this  friendship  they  continued 
for  many  days,  passing  their  evenings  in  manufactur 
ing  missiles,  and  the  mornings  in  sending  them  one  at 
the  other. 

Now  the  fairy  water-wives,  not  being  accustomed  to 
this  kind  of  intimacy,  sought  to  subtract  themselves 
from  it.  So  one  morning,  when  Marten  and  Team 
were  most  industriously  endeavoring  to  effect  mutual 
murder,  the  two  wives  of  the  former  fled  afar  to  seek 
fortune,  and  succeeded  therein  to  perfection.  And  it 
came  to  pass  when  the  sun  had  set  and  the  voice  of 


THE  MERRY  TALES   OF  LOX.  145 

Bumole,  the  Spirit  of  Night,  was  heard  afar  on  high, 
and  Nibauehset  (P.)?  tne  Night- Walker,  shone  over 
all,  that  the  two  brides  lay  in  an  oak  opening  of  the 
forest,  and  looked  at  P'ses'muk,  the  Stars,  and  talked 
about  them  even  as  children  might  do.  And  one 
said  to  the  other,  "  If  those  Stars  be  men,  which 
would  you  have  for  a  husband  ?  "  "  By  my  faith," 
replied  the  other,  "  it  should  be  that  little  red,  twin 
kling  fellow,  for  I  like  the  little  stars  best."  "  And 
I,"  said  the  other,  "  will  wed  the  Wisawaioo  P'ses'm 
(P.),  the  Great  Yellow  Star,  for  I  love  the  large 
stars."  And,  saying  this  in  jest,  they  fell  asleep. 

But  many  a  word  spoken  in  jest  is  recalled  in  ear 
nest,  as  these  brides  learned  when  they  awoke,  and 
found  themselves  married  again  in  the  Indian  man 
ner,  at  only  a  word.  For  she  who  had  wished  for  the 
Great  Yellow  Shining  Star,  as  she  opened  her  eyes, 
heard  a  man's  voice  say,  "  Take  care,  or  you  will  up 
set  my  war-paint !  "  1  And  lo,  there  lay  by  her  side  a 
great  and  handsome  man,  very  noble,  with  large  and 
lustrous  eyes.2  Then  the  other,  as  she  awoke  and 
stirred,  heard  a  little  feeble,  cracked  voice  crying, 

1  Sekroon  (red  ochre). 

2  In  the  Passamaquoddy  version  of  this  tale,  given  me   by 
Tomah  Josephs,  the  brides  awake  in  Star-Land.     The  husbands 
are  both  elderly  men,  and  he  who  is  the  Yellow  Star  has  bright 
yellow  corners  to  his  eyes,  while  the  other  has  red.     In  another 
the  Yellow  Star  is  called  Wdbeyu,  the  White.  While  they  are  all 
distinctly  forms  of  one  tale,  the  three  differ  so  much  that  I  have 
had  great  difficulty  in   reconstituting  what  appears  to  be  the 
original  legend. 

10 


146  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

"  Take  care,  or  you  will  spill  my  eye-water  !  "  l  And 
by  her  was  the  smaller  star,  whom  she  had  chosen ; 
but  he  was  a  weak-looking  old  fellow,  with  little  red, 
twinkling  eyes.  And  as  they  had  chosen  so  it  came 
unto  them. 

But  yellow  or  red,  young  or  old,  in  a  few  days  they 
both  grew  a-weary  of  the  star  country  to  which  they 
were  taken,  and  wished  to  return  to  the  earth.  And 
then  that  came  to  pass  which  made  them  yearn  with 
tenfold  longing  ;  for  their  husbands,  who  were  absent 
all  day  hunting,  had  pointed  out  to  them  a  large  flat 
stone,  which  they  were  on  no  account  to  lift ;  which 
they  obeyed  in  this  wise,  that  they  did  not  both  lift 
the  stone,  but  only  the  younger,  who,  as  soon  as  the 
Stars  had  gone  to  the  greenwood,  rushed  to  the  slab, 
and,  lifting  it  up,  gazed  greedily  down  into  the  hole 
beneath.  And  what  she  saw  was  wonderful,  for  it  was 
the  sky  itself,  and  directly  under  them  was  the  world 
in  which  they  had  lived,  and  specially  in  sight  was 
the  home  of  their  childhood,  with  all  its  woods  and 
rivers.  And  then  the  elder  having  looked,  both  al 
most  broke  their  hearts  with  weeping. 

Now  the  Stars  were  by  no  means  such  evil-minded 
men  as  you  may  have  deemed ;  for  having  perceived 
by  magic  that  their  wives  had  looked  through  the 
hole  in  the  sky,  and  knowing  that  they  were  lying 
when  they  denied  it,  they  gave  them  leave  to  go  back 
to  earth.  Yet  there  were  conditions,  and  those  not 
easy  to  such  fidgety  damsels  as  these ;  for  they  said, 
1  Nebijegwode  (eye  medicine,  M.). 


THE  MERRY  TALES  OF  LOX.  147 

"  Ye  shall  lie  together  all  this  night,  and  in  the  morn 
ing  when  ye  awake  ye  shall  be  in  no  haste  to  open 
your  eyes  or  to  uncover  your  faces.  Wait  until  ye 
shall  have  heard  the  song  of  the  Ktsee-gee-gil-lassis 
(P.),  or  chick-a-dee-dee.  And  even  then  ye  shall  not 
arise,  but  be  quiet  until  the  song  of  the  red  squirrel 
shall  be  heard.  And  even  then  ye  must  wait  and 
keep  your  faces  covered  and  your  eyes  closed  until  ye 
hear  the  striped  squirrel  sing.  And  then  ye  may 
leave  your  bed  and  look  around." 

Now  the  younger  wife  was  ever  impatient,  and  when 
the  chick-a-dee-dee  sang  she  would  have  leaped  up  at 
once,  but  the  elder  restrained  her.  "  Wait,"  she  said, 
"my  sister,  until  we  hear  the  Abalkakmooech" l 
And  she  lay  still  till  the  Adoo-doo-dech  2  began  his 
early  chatter  and  his  morning's  work.  Then,  without 
waiting,  she  jumped  up,  as  did  the  elder,  when  they 
found  themselves  indeed  on  earth,  but  in  the  summit 
of  a  tall,  spreading  hemlock-tree,  and  that  in  such  a 
manner  that  they  could  not  descend  without  assist 
ance.  And  it  had  come  to  pass  in  this  wise  :  for  as 
each  song  was  sung  by  the  bird  and  the  squirrels,  they 
had  come  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  earth,  even  as  the 
light  of  day  drew  near,  but  as  they  coulW  not  delay 
they  had  been  deserted.3 

1  Ground  squirrel.  2  Red  squirrel. 

3  A  want  of  patience  or  of  dignity,  and  restlessness,  are  moro 
scorned  by  every  Indian  than  any  other  fault.  This  is  not  the 
only  story  in  which  people  are  represented  as  being  punished  for 
being  unable  to  bide  their  time.  Glooskap  was  specially  severe 
on  all  such  sinners. 


148  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

And  as  they  sat  there  and  day  dawned,  men  of  the 
different  Indian  families  went  by,  and  unto  all  of 
these  they  cried  for  help.  It  is  true  that  their  star 
husbands  had  made  for  them  in  the  tree  a  bed  of 
moss,  but  they  cared  not  to  rest  in  the  hemlock,  for 
all  that.1  And  of  all  the  beasts  of  the  forest  or  men 
of  the  clearing,  who  should  be  the  first  to  appear  but 
Team,  or  Master  Moose,  himself.  And  to  him  they 
cried,  "  N^ sesenen-apkwahlin,  n'sesenen  !  "  "  Oh,  our 
elder  brother,  let  us  free ;  take  us  down,  and  we  will 
be  your  two  dear  little  wives,  and  go  home  with  you." 
But  he,  looking  up  scornfully,  said,  "  I  was  married 
this  autumn."  And  so  he  went  his  way. 

And  he  who  next  came  was  the  shaggy  Bear,  or 
mooin,  to  whom  they  made  the  same  request,  offering 
themselves  for  no  higher  price  than  to  be  taken  down 
safely  out  of  their  nest.  But  he  growled  out  that  he 
had  been  married  in  the  spring,  and  that  one  wife  was 
enough  for  any  man.  So  he  went  his  way.2 

1  In  another  very  full  version  of  this  legend  (M.),  the  water- 
wives  are  called  Weasels  (Uskoolsk),  "from  their  great  white 
ness."     This,  however,  indicates  supernatural  fairness  or  beauty. 
In  the  same  story  the  tree  is  a  pine,  not  a  hemlock.     Insignifi 
cant  as  these  differences  may  appear,  they  are  of  primary  im 
portance  in  the  elucidation  of  a  myth. 

2  N.  B.  —  There  is  a  joke  here.     The  animals  who  pass  by  tho 
tree  each  mate  at  the  season  of  the  year  when  they  declare  that 
they  were  married.    The  White  Ladies,  weasels  or  ermines,  there 
fore,  came  at  the  wrong  time.     The  fickle,  variable  nature  as 
cribed  to  woman,  varium  et  mutabile  semper  femina,  is  supposed 
to  be  most  decidedly  expressed  by  such  slender,  slippery,  active 
little  animals. 


THE   MERRY   TALES   OF  LOX.  149 

And  then  who  should  come  along  but  Marten  him 
self,  even  the  Abistanooch,  whom  they  had  deserted! 
And  they  cried  out  for  joy,  begging  in  in  to  take  them 
back.  But  he,  behaving  as  if  tlioy  were  utter  stran 
gers,  replied  that  he  had  been  married  in  the  early 
spring  to  one  of  his  own  tribe,  and  unto  a  damsel 
whose  name  was  Marten,  and  that  it  was  not  seemly 
for  animals  to  wed  out  of  their  own  kind.  So  he 
scampered  off,  leaving  the  little  Weasels  all  alone. 

And  last  of  all  came  Lox,  whom  hunters  call  the 
Indian  Devil,1  and  others  the  Wolverine,  who  is  ex 
ceeding  subtle  above  the  beasts  of  the  forest,  and  who 
is  gifted  with  more  evil  mischief  than  all  of  them  in 
one.  And  whan  the  Weasels  called  to  him  for  help 
he  tarried,  for  it  came  into  his  heart  that  he  might  in 
some  way  torment  and  tease  them.  But  verily  he  had 
to  deal  with  those  wrho  were  not  much  more  virtuous 
than  himself,  and  quite  as  cunning,  for  what  with  trav- 

1  In  the  Micmac  it  is  the  Badger,  Keekwajoo,  who  is  the  rogue 
and  teaser  of  the  tale.  But  in  the  Passamaquoddy  versions  it  is 
the  dreaded  and  mysterious  Lox,  who  appears  to  be  a  species  of 
Lynx  or  Wolverine.  The  Lox  is  said,  by  trustworthy  white  trav 
elers  as  well  as  Indians,  to  follow  hunting  parties  for  weeks,  in 
spired  apparently  only  by  an  incredible  mania  for  mischief,  much 
like  that  of  a  monkey  or  a  revengeful  savage,  but  guided  by  re 
markable  intelligence.  He  will  find  his  way  into  a  camp  and 
destroy  every  object  made  by  the  hand  of  man  with  a  thorough 
ness  akin  to  genius,  and  what  he  cannot  destroy  he  will  carry  to 
a  great  distance  and  carefully  conceal.  As  his  ferocity  is  equal 
to  his  craftiness,  he  is  very  appropriately  termed  the  Indian 
Devil. 


150  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

eling  from  the  earth  to  the  heavens  and  changing  hus 
bands,  these  fair  minevers  were  learning  wisdom  rap 
idly.  So  the  elder  sister,  who  had  not  the  least  idea  of 
keeping  her  promise  unless  it  suited  her  fancy,  played 
a  trick,  and  that  quickly  anon.  For  she  at  once  took 
off  her  hair-string 1  and  tied  it  into  a  few  less  than  a 
hundred  knots  among  the  twigs  of  the  trees,  tangling 
it  so  that  you  would  have  deemed  it  a  week's  work 
before  a  man  could  loosen  it  again  without  injury. 

Now  Master  Lox,  having  taken  down  the  younger 
sister  with  all  the  politeness  in  the  world,  came  for  the 
other,  and  aided  her  also  to  descend.  And  when  on 
the  ground  she  indeed  said,  "  Willee-oon,"  "  I  thank 
you  "  (P.),  but  begged  him  to  go  up  the  tree  again  and 
bring  down  a  great  treasure  which  she  had  left  there, 
her  hair-string ;  beseeching  him  for  all  their  lives  not 
to  break  or  injure  it  in  any  way,  but  to  most-  care 
fully  untie  every  knot,  for  thus  doing  it  would  bring 
untold  felicity  on  them  all ;  and  that  they,  the  Weasels, 
would  meantime  build  a  beautiful  bridal  bower,  or  a 
wigwam,  and  that  so  furnished  as  he  had  never  seen 
the  like  before,  —  in  which  verily  they  kept  their  word. 

For  they  speedily  built  the  wigwam,  but  the  furni 
ture  thereof  was  of  this  rare  kind.  The  Weasels  had, 
it  seems,  certain  sworn  friends,  —  for  birds  of  a  feather 

1  The  Hair-String,  Saggalobee  (M.),  occurs  very  often  in  Indian 
legends,  generally  as  gifted  with  magic.  The  Indian  women  al 
lowed  their  hair  to  grow  long,  then  doubled  it  upon  the  back  of 
the  head,  often  making  additions  of  something  to  enlarge  the 
roll.  It  was  then  bound  in  a  bunch  with  the  string. 


THE  MERRY  TALES  OF  LOX.  151 

flock  together,  —  and  these  were  not  far  to  seek,  as  they 
were  the  Thorns,  Burrs,  and  Briers  of  all  kinds,  Hor 
nets  and  other  winged  and  and  stinged  insects,  besides 
the  Ants.  And  they  were,  moreover,  intimate  with 
all  the  sharp-edged  Flints  in  the  land,  which  was  a 
goodly  company.  So  when  the  bower  was  built  it  had 
therein  a  hornet's  nest  for  a  bridal  bed,  thorns  for  a 
carpet,  flints  for  a  floor,  and  an  ant's  nest  for  a  seat, 
which  for  a  bare-footed  and  bare-breeched  Indian  is 
indeed  a  sore  essay.  Now  it  had  taken  Master  Lox 
the  entire  day  to  untie  the  hair-string,  so  when  he 
came  down  it  was  dark,  and  he  was  glad  when  he 
saw  the  hut  and  thought  of  resting  therein. 

But,  as  he  entered,  he  ran  among  the  Thorns,  which 
pierced  his  nose,  and  Flints,  which  cut  his  feet,  so  that 
he  roared  aloud.  Then  he  heard  a  voice,  which  seemed 
to  be  that  of  the  younger  Miss  Weasel,  crying  "  Names- 
cole  "  (M.),  "  Go  to  my  sister,  yonder !  "  So  he  went, 
and  trod  in  an  ant-hill,  and  this  was  worse  than  the 
Briers.  And  then  he  heard  another  voice  on  that  side 
which  cried,  laughing,  "  N'kwech-kale  !  "  (M.),  "  Go 
to  my  sister,  who  is  younger  than  I."  And  plunging 
furiously  through  the  darkness,  he  fell  on  the  hornet's 
nest ;  and  verily  the  last  state  of  that  Indian  was  worst 
of  all.  Thus,  seeing  himself  mocked,  he  became  furi 
ous  ;  so  that  he  who  has  by  nature  the  very  worst  tem 
per  of  all  beasts  or  men  was  never  so  angry  before,  and, 
seeking  the  tracks  of  the  Weasels,  he  pursued  them  as 
they  fled  in  the  night  and  through  the  thick  forest. 

Now  it  came  to  pass  that  by  daybreak  the  two  girls, 


152  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

even  the  Misses  Weasel,  had  come  to  a  broad  river 
which  they  could  not  cross.  But  in  the  edge  of  the 
water  stood  a  large  Crane,  motionless,  or  the  Tum-gwo- 
lig-unach,  who  was  the  ferryman.  Now  truly  this  is 
esteemed  to  be  the  least  beautiful  of  all  the  birds,  for 
which  cause  he  is  greedy  of  good  words  and  fondest 
of  flattery.  And  of  all  beings  there  were  none  who 
had  more  bear's  oil  ready  to  anoint  every  one's  hair 
with  —  that  is  to  say,  more  compliments  ready  for 
everybody — than  the  Weasels.  So,  seeing  the  Crane, 
they  sang :  — 

"  Wa  wela  quis  kip  pat  kasqu', 
Wa  wela  quis  kip  pat  kasqu'.  "    (P.) 

The  Crane  has  a  very  beautiful  long  neck, 
The  Crane  has  a  very  beautiful  long  neck. 

This  charmed  the  old  ferryman  very  much,  and  when 
they  said,  "  Please,  grandfather,  hurry  along,"  he  came 
quickly.  Seeing  this,  they  began  to  chant  in  chorus, 
sweetly  as  the  Seven  Stars  themselves  :  — 

"  Wa  wela  quig  nat  kasqu', 

Wa  wela  quig  nat  kasqu'."  (P.) 

The  Crane  has  very  beautiful  long  legs, 
The  Crane  has  very  beautiful  long  legs. 

Hearing  this,  the  good  Crane  wanted  more ;  so 
when  they  asked  him  to  give  them  a  lift  across,  he 
answered  slowly  that  to  do  so  he  must  be  well  paid, 
but  that  good  praise  would  answer  as  well.  Now 
they  who  had  abundance  of  this  and  to  spare  for 


THE   MERRY  TALES   OF  LOX.  153 

everybody  were  these  very  girls.  "  Have  I  not  a 
beautiful  form  ?  "  he  inquired  ;  and  they  both  cried 
aloud,  "  Oh,  uncle,  it  is  indeed  beautiful !  "  "  And 
my  feathers  ?  "  "  Ah,  pegeakopchu  "  (M.),  "  Beauti 
ful  and  straight  feathers  indeed  !  "  "  And  have  I  not 
a  charming  long,  straight  neck  ?  "  "  Truly  our  uncle 
has  it  straight  and  long."  "  And  will  ye  not  acknowl 
edge,  oh,  maidens,  that  my  legs  are  fine?"  "Fine! 
oh,  uncle,  they  are  perfection.  Never  in  this  life  did 
we  see  such  legs !  "  So  being  well  pleased,  the  Crane 
put  them  across,  and  then  the  two  little  Weasels  scam 
pered  like  mice  into  the  bush. 

And  scarcely  were  they  concealed,  or  the  Crane 
well  again  in  his  place,  ere  Master  Lox  appeared. 
And  being  in  no  good  temper  he  called  to  Uncle  Crane 
to  set  him  across,  and  that  speedily.  Now  the  Crane 
had  been  made  mightily  pleased  and  proud  by  the 
winsome  words  of  the  Weasels,  and  was  but  little  in 
clined  to  be  rudely  addressed.  So  he  said  to  Lox, 
44 1  will  bear  thee  over  the  river  if  thou  wilt  bear  wit 
ness  to  my  beauty.  Are  not  my  legs  straight?" 
44  Yea "  replied  the  Lox,  44  and  beautifully  painted, 
too."  Now  the  color  thereof  was  little  pleasing  to 
poor  Uncle  Crane.  "  Are  not  my  feathers  very  smooth 
and  fine  ?  "  44  Yea,  smooth  and  fine ;  what  a  pity, 
though,  that  they  are  mildewed  and  dusty !  "  "  And 
my  straight  neck  ?  "  "  Yes,  wonderfully  straight,  — 
straight  as  this"  said  Lox  to  himself,  taking  up  a 
crooked  stick.  And  then  he  sang  :  — 

"  Mecha  guiskipat  kasqu', 
Mecha  quig  nat  kasqu'." 


154  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

The  Crane  has  a  very  ugly  neck, 
The  Crane  has  dirty,  ugly  legs. 

"Come,  mooso  me  (grandfather),  hurry  up! 

Oh,  the  Crane  has  a  very  ugly  neck, 
The  Crane  has  dirty,  ugly  legs. 

I  wish  you  to  be  quick,  mooso  me.  Hurry  up,  I 
say!'" 

And  all  of  this  ill-temper  and  insincerity  was  deeply 
and  inwardly  detected  by  Uncle  Crane,  but  he  said 
not  a  word,  and  only  meekly  bent  him  down  to  take 
the  traveler  on  his  back.  But  when  in  the  stream, 
and  where  it  was  deepest  and  most  dangerous,  he 
gave  himself  a  shake,  and  in  another  instant  Lox  was 
whirling  round  and  round  like  a  chip  in  the  rapids. 
And  yet  a  little  time  he  was  dashed  against  the  rocks, 
and  then  anon  was  thrown  high  and  dry  on  the  shore, 
but  dead  as  a  seven-year-old  cedar  cone. 

Now  the  Lox  is  a  great  magician  at  certain  times 
and  seasons,  albeit  his  power  fails  him  at  others.2 

1  This  dialogue,  including  the  songs,  is  from  a  very  curious 
Passamaquoddy  version  of  the  tale,  sent  to  me  by  Louis  Mitchell. 
As  in  all  such  cases,  there  is  far  more  humor  in  the  Passama 
quoddy  narratives  than  in  the  Micmac  or  Eskimo. 

2  From  this  point  of  the  legend  onward  there  is  an  inextricable 
confusion  as  regards  the  four  different  versions.    While  the  hero 
is  decidedly  a  Badger  in  the  Micmac,  I  regard  the  great  ferocity, 
craft,  and  above  all  the  vitality  which  he  displays  as  far  more 
characteristic  of  the  Lox  or  Wolverine  of  the  Passamaquoddy. 
What  is  almost  decisively  in  favor  of  the  latter  theory  is  that 
in  all  the  stories,  despite  his  craft  and  power,  he  is  always  get 
ting  himself  into  trouble  through  them.     This  is  eminently  char 
acteristic  of  the  Lox,  much  less  so  of  the  Badger. 


THE  MERRY  TALES  OF  LOX.  155 

And  he  is  one  of  those  who  rise  from  the  dead.  Now 
it  came  to  pass  that  some  days  after  two  boys  of  the 
Kwedech  or  Mohawk  race  found  the  Lox  lying  dead 
on  a  rock  in  the  sunshine,  and  the  worms  were  crawl 
ing  from  him.  But  when  they  touched  him  he  arose 
as  if  from  sleep,  and  stood  before  them  as  a  proud  and 
fierce  warrior.  But  he  was  scarce  alive  ere  he  sought 
to  do  them  who  had  roused  him  to  life  a  mischief  ;  for 
having  noted  that  they  had  fine  bows,  he  got  them  into 
his  hands,  and  broke  them,  yet  all  as  if  he  meant  it 
not.1  And  then  by  magic  making  a  sound  as  of  many 
children  at  play,  afar  off  across  the  next  point  of 
land  by  the  river,  he  bade  them  run  and  join  the  pleas 
ant  games.  And  when  he  had  got  them  a  space  on 
ward,  lo,  the  sound  seemed  ever  farther  on,  mingled 
with  the  murmur  of  the  stream  ;  and  so  they  went 
without  him,  seeking  it,  and  yet  it  wandered  ever  far 
away. 

Now  he  had  learned  from  the  boys  that  they  were 
of  a  Cullo  family  ;  and  the  Culloos  are  certain  mon 
strous  birds,  exceeding  fierce.  But  Master  Lox,  having 
seen  in  the  cabin  plenty  of  fine  meat,  desired  greatly 
to  become  one  of  the  family,  and  having  been  much 
about  in  life  knew  something  of  the  ways  of  every 
one.  So  putting  on  the  Culloo  style,  he,  seeing  a 

1  In  the  Passamaquoddy  version  of  this  tale,  when  Lox  is  thus 
dismembered,  the  ants,  pitying  him,  bring  his  scattered  members 
together.  As  soon  as  he  recovers,  the  Wolverine,  with  charac 
teristic  ingratitude,  amuses  himself  by  trampling  his  benefactors 
to  death  beneath  his  feet. 


156  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

babe,  began  to  sing  with  the  most  natural  air  in  the 
world  a  Culloo  nursery-song  :  — 

"  Agoo  ge  abeol, 
Wetkusanabeol."  l 

A  seal- skin  strap, 
A  shoulder-strap. 

Now  it  costs  very  little  to  fall  into  the  humor  of  a 
man  ;  but  this  the  woman  would  not  do,  and  told  him 
plainly  that  he  could  not  deceive  her.  On  hearing 
which  Master  Lox,  in  a  great  rage,  seized  his  toma 
hawk  and  slew  her.  Then  seeing  a  kettle  boiling  on 
the  fire,  he  cut  off  her  head  and  put  it  into  the  pot, 
hiding  the  body.  And  this  was  a  merry  jest  after  his 
own  heart,  so  that  it  greatly  solaced  him.  But  after 
a  time,  the  two  boys,  returning,  missed  their  mother, 
and  looking  into  the  kettle,  found  her  head.  Then 
they  knew  well  who  had  done  this.  And,  being  fear 
less,  they  pursued  him,  but  having  no  bows  they  could 
do  him  no  harm  ;  however,  they  took  from  him  his 
gloves,  and  with  these  they  returned. 

And  anon  there  came  also  an  uncle  of  the  boys,  or 
Ifah-kah-goos  (P.)?  tne  Crow.  So  he  gave  chase  to 
Lox,  yet  all  that  he  could  do  was  to  snatch  away  his 
cap  as  he  ran.  Yet  without  shame  he  cried  aloud, 
"  Well,  my  head  was  getting  warm,  and  now  I  am 
cooler.  Thank  you  !  " 

Then  came  another  relative,  Kitpoo,  the  Eagle  (M.). 
And  he,  pursuing  Lox,  took  from  him  his  coat.  Yet 
1  Micmac. 


LOX    CARRIED    OFF    BY   CULLOO. 


THE  MERRY  TALES   OF  LOX.  157 

all  unabashed  he  replied,  "  Thanks  unto  you  also;  for 
I  was  just  wishing  that  my  younger  brother  were  here 
to  carry  my  coat  for  me."  But  he  who  now  arrived, 
hearing  of  the  deadly  deed,  was  the  great  Culloo  him 
self,  the  most  terrible  of  all  created  creatures,  and  he, 
pursuing  Lox,  caught  him  up,  and  carrying  him  in  his 
claws,  even  to  the  summit  of  the  sky  itself,  let  him 
drop,  and  he  was  a  whole  day  in  falling ;  even  from  the 
first  dawn  unto  sunset  he  went  down  ere  he  touched 
the  earth.  But  before  he  was  let  drop,  and  when  on 
high,  he  burst  into  a  mocking  song  on  what  he  saw, 
and  the  words  were  as  follows  :  — 

"  Kumut  kenovek, 
Telap  tumun  ek, 
Stugach'  kesenagasikel, 
Yog  wa  egen' 
Yog  wa  egeno 
Telap  tumen  ek 
Kumut  ken  ooik' 
Stuga  'mkudomoos  koon." 

Our  country  all  lost 
Seems  clearly  to  us 
As  though  it  were  all  spread  with  boughs. 

Heigh  ho,  hay  hum  ! 

Heigh  ho,  hay  hum  ! 
Our  country  now  lost 
Seems  now  unto  us 
To  be  blue  like  the  clear  blue  sky. 

Hum,  hum  —  tol  de  rol  ! 

And  when  let  fall,  this  graceless  jackanapes  in  no 
wise  ceased  his  ribaldry  ;  for  while  pretending  to  flap 


158  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

with  his  arms  as  if  they  were  wings,  he  imitated  with 
his  mouth,  mockingly,  the  wish  !  wish !  of  the  wide 
wings  of  the  Culloo.  Yet  just  ere  he  touched  the 
earth  he  uttered  one  little  magic  spell,  "  Oh,  spare  my 
poor  backbone  !  "  And  with  that  all  the  trouble  of 
all  the  birds  went  for  nothing.  Truly  he  was  mashed 
to  a  batter,  and  his  blood  and  brains  flew  in  every 
direction,  like  raspberry  pudding ;  but  among  the  re 
mains  his  backbone  lay  whole,  and  this  was  his  life. 

And  in  a  few  days  after  his  younger  brother  came 
by,  who,  seeing  the  dire  mess,  exclaimed,  "  Hey,  what 
is  all  this  ?  "  1  Whereupon  a  Voice  came  from  the 
bone,  crying,  "  Nuloogoon,  ba  ho  !  "  "  Ho,  my  leg, 
come  hither !  "  and  a  leg  came  unto  the  spine.  Then 
the  Voice  cried,  "  N'petunagum,  ba  ho  !  "  "  Ho,  my 
arm,  come  hither !  "  And  when  the  last  fragment 
had  come*  he  arose,  the  same  indomitable  Lox  as  ever, 
even  the  Indian  Devil,  or  Wolverine,  who  never  says 
Die,  and  whom  nothing  can  kill,  and  who  is  hard  to 
put  away. 

Now  the  two  brothers  went  on  till  they  came  to  the 
top  of  a  high  mountain,  where  there  lay  a  very  great 
round  rock,  or  a  mighty  boulder.  And,  being  full  of 
fun,  they  turned  it  over  with  great  sticks,  saying  to  it, 

1  The  dead  body  of  a  sorcerer  must  lie  until  addressed  by 
some  human  being.  Then  it  revives.  This  is  suggestive  of  vam 
pirism,  which  is  well  known  to  the  Indians.  There  is  some 
thing  strangely  ghastly  in  the  idea  of  the  Voice  calling  separately 
to  each  dead  limb  to  come  to  it.  The  Culloo  is  an  emblem  of 
the  cloud,  and  Lox  let  fall  from  one  probably  signified  fire,  or 
the  lightning. 


THE  MERRY  TALES   OF  LOX.  159 

"  Now  let  us  run  a  race !  "  Then  it  rolled  downhill 
till  it  stopped  at  the  foot,  they  rushing  along  by  it  all 
the  time.  And  when  it  rested  they  jeered  it,  and 
bade  it  race  with  them  again,  when  it  so  listed. 

And  truly  they  had  not  long  to  wait,  for  soon  after, 
as  they  sat  cooking  their  food,  they  heard  a  mighty 
commotion  as  of  something  coining  with  dreadful  speed 
through  the  forest.  And  lo  !  it  was  the  stone  in  dire 
wrath,  which,  having  rested  a  little  while,  came  rush 
ing  through  the  forest,  crashing  the  mighty  trees  like 
grass,  with  a  roar  like  thunder,  leaving  a  smooth  road 
behind  it  in  the  roughest  wilderness.  Up  and  after 
the  sorcerers  flew  the  stone,  and  the  younger  slipped 
aside  like  a  snake,  but  the  elder  had  scarcely  time  to 
utter  his  magic  charm,  "  Noo-goon  ooskudeskuch !  " 
"  Let  my  backbone  remain  uninjured  !  "  ere  the  awful 
rock  rolled  down  upon  him,  crushing  his  bones  and 
mashing  his  flesh.  Yet  the  spine  was  unhurt ;  it  re 
mained  sound  as  ever. 

And  the  stone  went  on  and  ever  on,  till  the  sound 
of  its  roar  died  away  in  the  breeze  and  afar  in  the 
wilderness. 

Then  the  younger  brother  turned  to  the  Backbone 
and  said,  "  Cagooee  wejismoott  tumun  ?  "  (M.)  "  Why 
are  you  lying  there  ?  "  And  hearing  this  charm  the 
Bone  called  aloud,  "  Ntenin  ba  ho  !  "  "  My  body,  ho  !  " 
and  "Nuloogoon  la  ho!  "  "  My  leg,  ho  !  "  and  so  with 
the  rest  of  the  members  as  before,  until  he  that  was 
decomposed  was  now  recomposed  ;  yes,  and  composed 
perfectly.  And  then  he  that  was  dead,  but  was  now 


160  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

alive,  arose,  and  said  as  one  awaking,  "  What  have  I 
been  doing  ?  "  So  his  brother  told  him  all. 

Then  he  was  greatly  angered,  and  when  the  Wol 
verine  is  angry  it  is  not  a  little.  And  he  said  in  his 
wrath,  "  Shall  I  that  am  the  devil  of  the  woods  him 
self  be  slain  by  birds  and  stones,  and  not  be  re 
venged  ?  "  So  they  went  onwards  through  the  woods 
till  they  found  the  Great  Rock  :  they  followed  in  the 
path  of  the  broken  trees ;  even  by  the  trees  did  they 
track  it.  Which  having  found,  they  built  a  fire  around 
it ;  with  great  stones  for  hammers  they  broke  it,  and 
ever  more  and  still  smaller,  till  it  was  all  mere  dust, 
for  their  souls  were  sore  for  revenge. 

When  lo,  a  great  wonder !  For  the  Spirit  of  the 
Old  Rock,  even  that  which  was  itself,  turned  all  the 
dust  to  black  flies,  into  the  stinging  and  evil  things 
which  drive  men  and  beasts  mad,  so- that  its  hatred 
and  spite  might  be  carried  out  on  all  living  creatures 
unto  the  end  of  time. 

And  having  had  their  ill-will  of  the  Rock  and  seen 
it  become  Flies,  the  two  went  through  the  forest,  and 
so  on  till  they  came  to  a  village  of  good,  honest  folk  ; 
and  knowing  what  manner  of  men  they  were,  Lox  re 
solved  to  forthwith  play  them  an  evil  trick,  for  in  all 
life  there  was  nothing  half  so  dear  to  him  as  to  make 
mischief,  the  worse  the  better. 

And  this  time  it  came  into  his  head  that  it  would 
be  a  fine  piece  of  wit  to  go  into  the  town  as  a  gay  girl 
and  get  married,  and  see  what  would  come  of  it,  trust 
ing  to  luck  to  fashion  a  sad  fool  out  of  somebody.  So 


THE  MERRY  TALES   OF  LOX.  161 

having  made  himself  into  a  delicate  young  beauty, 
richly  attired,  he  entered  the  place  ;  and  truly  the  town 
was  soon  agog  over  the  new  guests.  And  the  young 
chief  of  the  tribe,  wanting  her,  won  her  without  waste 
of  time.  Truly  there  lieth  herein  some  mystery.  I 
know  not  what,  only  this  I  know  :  that  there  are  in  all 
towns  certain  folk  who,  by  means  of  magic  or  med 
dling,  always  find  out  everything  about  everybody,  and 
then  tittle-tattle  thereof.  Now,  albeit  Lox  had  ut 
terly  abjured  all  the  sinfulness  of  manhood,  and  had 
made  a  new  departure  in  an  utterly  new  direction,  say 
ing  not  a  word  thereof  to  any  one,  yet  in  a  brief  meas 
ure  of  time,  one  here,  another  there,  Jack  in  a  corner 
and  Jane  by  the  bush,  began  to  whisper  of  a  strange 
thing,  and  hint  that  all  was  not  as  it  should  be,  and, 
whatever  the  chief  might  think,  that  in  their  minds 
matters  were  going  wrong  in  his  wigwam. 

Now  Lox,  knowing  all  this  thread  as  soon  as  it  was 
spun,  began  to  think  it  high  time  to  show  his  hand 
in  the  game.  And  what  was  the  amazement  of  all 
the  town  to  hear,  one  fine  evening,  that  the  chief's 
wife  would  soon  be  a  iriother.  And  when  the  time 
came  Dame  Lox  informed  her  husband  that,  accord 
ing  to  the  custom  of  her  people,  she  must  be  left  ut 
terly  alone  till  he  was  a  father  and  the  babe  born. 
And  when  in  due  time  the  cry  of  a  small  child  was 
heard  in  the  lodge  the  women  waiting  ran  in,  and  re 
ceived  from  the  mother  the  little  one,  abundantly 
rolled  in  many  wrappers,  which  they  took  to  the  chief. 

But  what  was  his  amazement,  when  having  unrolled 

11 


162      THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

the  package,  he  found  under  one  skin  after  another, 
tied  up  hard,  yet  another  sewed  up,  and  yet  again,  as 
the  inmost  kernel  of  this  nut,  the  little  withered,  wiz 
ened,  dead,  and  dried  shrivelment  of  an  unborn  moose 
calf.  Which  pleased  the  chief  so  much  that,  dashing 
Master  Moose  into  the  fire,  he  seized  his  tomahawk 
and  ran  to  his  lodge  to  make  his  first  morning  call  on 
the  mother. 

But  Master  Lox  was  now  a  man  again,  and  expect 
ing  this  call,  and  not  wishing  to  see  visitors,  had  with 
his  brother  fled  to  the  woods,  and  that  rapidly.  And 
in  the  rush  he  came  to  a  river,  and,  seeing  a  very  high 
waterfall,  thought  of  a  rare  device  whereby  he  might 
elude  pursuit.  For  he  with  his  brother  soon  built  a 
dam  across  the  top  with  trees  and  earth,  so  that  but 
little  water  went  below.  And  lying  in  a  cave,  con 
cealed  with  care,  he  imitated  the  600-00-00  of  a  fall 
ing  stream  with  quaint  and  wondrous  skill.  And 
there  he  lay,  and  no  man  wist  thereof. 

But  verily  the  wicked  one  is  caught  in  his  own 
snare,  and  even  so  it  befell  Master  Lox.  For  as  he 
hid,  the  water  above,  having  gathered  to  a  great  lake, 
burst  the  dam,  so  that  it  all  came  down  upon  him  at 
once  and  drowned  him ;  nor  was  there  any  great 
weeping  for  him  that  ever  I  heard  of.  So  here  he 
passes  out  of  this  story,  and  does  not  come  into  it 
again.  But  whether  he  went  for  good  and  all  out  of 
this  life  is  doubtful,  since  I  find  him  living  again  in 
so  many  rare,  strange  histories  that  it  has  become  a 
proverb  that  Lox  never  dies. 


THE  MERRY   TALES   OF  LOX.  163 

Now  the  tale  returns  to  the  two  little  Weasels,  or 
Ermines,  or  Water-Maids,  poor  souls,  who  had  such  a 
hard  life  !  And  it  happened  that,  fleeing  from  Master 
Lox,  they  came  at  evening  to  a  deserted  village,  and 
entered  a  wigwam  to  pass  the  night.  But  the  elder, 
being  the  wiser,  and  somewhat  of  a  witch  in  the  bud, 
mistrusted  the  place,  deeming  it  not  so  empty  as  it 
seemed.  And  beholding  by  the  door,  lying  on  the 
ground,  the  Neckbone  of  a  man  or  some  other  animal, 
she  warned  her  sister  that  she  should  in  nowise  offend 
it  or  treat  it  lightly,  to  which  the  younger  replied  by 
giving  it  a  kick  which  sent  it  flying,  and  by  other 
wise  treating  it  with  scorn  and  disdain. 

Then  they  laid  them  down  to  sleep ;  but  before  their 
slumber  came  they  heard  a  doleful,  bitter  voice  chant 
ing  aloud  and  shouting,  and  it  was  Chamach  keg 
wech,  or  the  Neckbone,  bewailing  the  scorn  that  had 
been  put  upon  him,  and  reviling  them  with  all  manner 
of  curses.  Then  the  elder  said,  "  There,  truly,  I  said 
it.  I  knew  you  would  be  our  death  if  you  did  not 
mind  me  :  "  it  being  in  all  cases  an  esteemed  solace 
for  every  woman  and  most  men  to  say,  "  I  told  you 
so !  "  But  the  younger,  being  well-nigh  frightened  to 
a  corpse,  in  a  soft  whisper  implored  the  elder  to  let 
her  hide  herself  in  her  roll  of  hair,1  which  the  Voice, 
mocking  her,  repeated  ;  adding  thereto  all  the  reviling 
and  railing  that  Mitche-hant,  the  devil,  himself  ever 
yet  invented,  and  abusing  her  so  for  her  past  life,  and 

1  That  is,  the  elder  should  retain  the  human  form,  and  the 
younger  become  a  weasel. 


164  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

exhorting  her  so  for  all  the  sins,  slips,  and  slops 
therein  (of  which  there  were  many),  that  even  the 
impenitent  little  Weasel  repented  and  wept  bitterly. 
Howbeit  no  further  harm  came  to  them  beyond  this, 
so  that  the  next  morning  they  went  their  way  in 
peace  ;  and  I  warrant  you  Master  Neckbone  got  no 
kicks  that  day  from  them,  departing.1 

Then,  coming  to  a  river,  they  saw  on  the  other  side 
a  handsome  young  man  holding  a  bow,  and  to  him 
they  called,  making  their  usual  offer  to  become  his 
wives,  and  all  for  no  greater  thing  than  to  carry  them 
over  the  ferry.  And  this  man's  name  was  See-witch,2 
and  to  please  them  he  did  indeed  pass  them  over  in 
his  canoe ;  but  as  for  taking  them  home,  he  said  that 
he  had  housekeepers  in  store,  and  as  many  as  he 
needed  just  then,  and  that  of  a  kind  who  kept  him 
very  busy.  So  they  went  their  way  onwards. 

And  coming  anon  to  the  great  sea,  they  beheld  yet 
another  canoe  with  two  men  therein,  and  these  were 
Kwe-moo,  the  Loon,  and  Mahgwis,  the  Scapegrace. 
And  embarking  with  them,  Loon  soon  began  to  ad 
mire  the  girls  greatly.  And  saying  many  sweet  things, 
he  told  them  that  he  dwelt  in  the  Wigem  territory,  or 
in  the  land  of  the  Owealkesk,3  of  which  he  himself 

1  This  incident  of  the  Neckbone  is  very  much  like  the  com 
mon  nursery  tale  of  Teeny  Tiny,  in  which  an  old  woman  takes 
home  a  human  bone  and  puts  it  in  the  cupboard.     It  torments  her 
all  night  by  its  cries. 

2  A  kind  of  small  sea-duck. 

8  A  very  beautiful  species  of  sea-duck. 


THE  MERRY  TALES   OF  LOX.  165 

was  one.  But  the  Mahgwis  whispered  to  them  aside 
that  they  should  put  little  trust  in  what  he  told  them, 
for  Loon  was  a  great  liar.  Now  when  they  came  to 
the  land  of  the  Owealkesk,  they  were  amazed  at  the 
beauty  of  the  people,  and  saw  that  all  in  that  land 
was  lovely,  nor  did  they  themselves  seem  less  marvel- 
ously  fair  to  the  men  therein.  Indeed,  the  poor  little 
Weasels  began  to  see  the  end  of  their  sorrows,  for, 
being  water-fairies,  these  sea-birds  were  nigh  akin  to 
them.  And  there  was  a  great  feast,  a  great  dance, 
and  great  games  held  in  honor  of  their  arrival,  and 
the  two  finest  young  Sea-Duck  men,  utterly  unheeding 
the  old  Loon,  who  believed  indeed  that  they  were  his 
own  wives,  carried  them  off,  and  nothing  loath  wedded 
them. 

And  it  was  in  this  wise.  There  was  a  canoe-race, 
and  Kwe-moo,  being  bitterly  angry  that  he  was  held 
of  so  little  account  in  the  Sea-Duck  land,  went  forth 
with  the  rest,  and,  paddling  far  outside,  upset  his 
canoe,  and  making  as  if  he  were  drowning  called  to 
the  Weasels  to  come  and  save  him.  But  the  Sea- 
Ducks  laughed,  and  said,  "  Let  him  alone.  Truly  he 
will  never  drown.  We  know  him."  And  the  race 
ended  they  went  ashore  in  peace.1 

And  that  night  they  danced  late,  and  the  Weasels, 

1  Here  the  Micmac  narrative  ends.  The  rest  is  as  it  was  given 
to  me  by  Noel  Josephs,  or  Chi  gatch  gok,  the  Raven,  a  Passa- 
maquoddy.  It  would  not  be  a  complete  Indian  tale  if  a  man 
having  received  a  slight  or  injury  did  not  take  a  bloody  revenge 
for  it. 


166  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

being  better  pleased  with  the  two  handsome  Sea- 
Ducks  than  with  Loon,  forthwith  divorced  themselves 
out  of  hand,  and  at  once  married  them,  going  to  where 
their  canoe  lay,  to  pass  the  bridal  night.  Now  Loon 
had  not  gone  to  the  dance,  but  sat  at  home  nursing 
his  vengeance  till  he  was  well-nigh  mad.  And  as  the 
Weasels  did  not  return,  he  went  forth  and  sought 
them ;  and  this  he  did  so  carefully  that  at  last  he 
found  all  four  by  the  sea,  sound  asleep.  Whereupon 
he,  with  his  knife,  slew  the  young  men,  and  being  in 
great  fear  of  their  friends  took  his  canoe  and  went 
down  the  river  to  kill  a  deer.  But  not  daring  to 
return,  and  being  mad  for  loss  of  the  Weasels,  and 
fearing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  he  in  de 
spair  took  his  knife  and  killed  himself. 

Yet  the  Weasels,  who  had  seen  the  deed  done,  did 
not  betray  him,  for  there  was  at  least  so  much  truth 
left  in  them.  And  they  lived  with  the  Sea-Ducks, 
and  I  doubt  me  not  went  on  marrying  and  mischief- 
making  after  their  wont  even  unto  the  end  of  their 
days.  And  their  kind  are  not  dead  as  yet  in  any 
land. 

This  is  a  fair  specimen  of  many  Indian  legends. 
So  much  of  it  as  is  Micmac  was  told  to  Mr.  Rand  by 
a  highly  intelligent  Indian,  named  Benjamin  Brooks, 
who  was  certain  that  the  story  was  of  great  antiquity. 
As  I  at  first  heard  it,  it  was  limited  to  the  adventure 
with  the  Stars,  but  I  was  told  that  this  formed  only  a 
part  of  an  extremely  long  narrative.  It  consists,  in 


THE  MERRY  TALES   OF  LOX.  167 

fact,  of  different  parts  of  other  tales  connected,  and  I 
doubt  not  that  there  is  much  more  of  it.  It  cannot 
escape  the  reader  versed  in  fairy-lore  that  the  incident 
of  the  water-maiden  captured  by  her  clothes  is  com 
mon  to  all  European  nations,  but  that  it  is  especially 
Norse  ;  while  the  adventures  of  the  Wolverine,  and 
indeed  his  whole  character,  are  strangely  suggestive  of 
Loki,  the  Spirit  of  mere  Mischief,  who  becomes  evil. 
The  fact  that  both  Loki  and  Lox  end  their  earthly 
career  at  a  waterfall  is  very  curious.  The  two  also 
become,  in  wizard  fashion,  women  at  will.  But  it  is 
chiefly  in  the  extreme  and  wanton  devilishness  of  their 
tricks  that  they  are  alike.  Many  other  resemblances 
will  suggest  themselves  to  those  who  know  the  Eddas. 
In  the  Passamaquoddy  version  of  this  tale,  it  is  See- 
witch,  and  not  the  Loon,  who  plays  the  part  of  the 
jealous  husband  at  the  end.  The  career  of  the  Wea 
sels  seems  to  set  forth  the  adventures  of  a  couple  of 
Indian  Becky  Sharps,  very  much  in  the  spirit  of  an 
Indian  Thackeray.  The  immorality  of  these  damsels, 
the  sponging  of  Marten,  the  deviltry  of  Lox,  the  se 
nile  follies  and  ferocious  vindictiveness  of  the  Loon, 
all  seem  to  impress  the  composer  of  the  tale  as  so  many 
bubbles  rising  and  falling  on  the  sea  of  life,  only 
remarkable  for  the  sun-gleam  of  humor  which  they 
reflect.  Outside  these  tales  I  know  of  nothing  which 
so  resembles  the  inner  spirit  of  Aristophanes,  Rabelais, 
and  Shakespeare.  I  do  not  say  that  the  genius  of 
these  great  masters  is  in  them,  but  their  manner  of 
seeing  humor  and  wickedness  combined.  The  cause 


168  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

of  this  lies  in  the  cultivated  stoicism  with  which  every 
Indian  trains  himself  to  regard  life.  The  inevitable 
result  of  such  culture  is  always  in  some  way  a  kind  of 
humor,  either  grim  or  gay. 

A  re-perusal  of  the  Eddas  has  impressed  me  with 
the  remarkable  resemblance  of  Lox,  the  Wolverine,  to 
Loki.  The  story  begins  with  the  incident  of  a  bird 
maiden  caught  by  a  trick,  and  married.  This  is  dis 
tinctly  Scandinavian.  It  is  known  in  all  lands,  but 
the  Norse  made  the  most  of  it.  Then  the  two  girls  sit 
and  choose  the  kind  of  stars  they  will  have.  In  the 
Eskimo  (Rink,  No.  8),  two  girls  sitting  011  a  beach, 
(talking  in  the  same  way,  seeing  eagles'  and  whales' 
tones  by  them,  declare  that  they  would  like  to  marry, 
the  one  an  eagle,  the  other  a  whale,  and  both  get  their 
wishes.  In  the  Norse  legends  stars  are  like  human 
beings.  Lox  is  pursued  by  a  giant  bird ;  Loki  is 
chased  by  Thiassi,  the  giant,  in  eagle  plumage.  Again, 
in  the  Edda  a  giant  eagle  drags  and  trails  Loki  over 
woods  and  mountains,  till  he  screams  for  pity.  The 
Wolverine's  race  with  a  stone  giant  also  recalls  this 
race,  the  eagle  being  really  one  of  the  Jotuns,  who 
were  also  all  mountains  and  rocks.  The  Wolverine 
wizard  becomes  a  girl,  merely  to  make  mischief.  Loki 
took  the  form  of  a  woman  in  Fensal,  where  he 
schemed  to  kill  Balder.  This  is  certainly  a  strange 
coincidence ;  for  as  in  the  Edda,  Loki's  becoming  a 
woman  led  to  all  the  subsequent  tragedy  and  to  his 
own  doom,  so  in  the  Indian  tale  the  very  same  thing 
caused  the  Wolverine  to  be  chased  to  the  high  water- 


THE  MERRY   TALES   OF  LOX.  169 

fall,  where,  owing  to  his  own  tricks,  he  perished,  just 
as  Loki  came  to  grief  in  Franangursfors,  the  bright 
and  glistening  cataract.  But  the  most  remarkable 
point  is  that  the  general  immoral  character  of  the 
Lox, l  or  Wolverine,  is  so  much  like  that  of  Loki,  con 
sisting  of  evil  or  mischief  of  the  worst  kind,  always 
tempered  by  humor,  which  provokes  a  laugh.  Now 
to  find  a  similar  and  very  singular  character  supported 
by  several  coincidences  of  incident  is,  if  nothing  more, 
at  least  very  remarkable. 

Loki  is  fire,  and  Lox,  when  killed  in  another  tale,  is 
revived  by  heat.  He  is  carried  off  by  the  Culloo,  or 
cloud,  and  let  fall,  typifying  fire  or  lightning  coming 
from  a  cloud.  Again,  in  another  story  he  dies  for 
want  of  fire.  And  he  twice  dies  by  drowning ;  that  is, 
the  fire  is  quenched  by  water. 

In  one  of  the  Passamaquoddy  versions  of  this  tale, 
which  is,  though  less  detailed,  far  superior  in  humor 
to  the  Micmac,  the  Loon  is  cheated  by  his  two 
nephews,  the  Assooi^s,  a  species  of  loon,  who  steal 
the  Weasels  from  him.  He  revenges  himself,  not  by 
murdering,  but  by  merely  frightening  them.  He  fills 
a  bladder  with  blood,  puts  it  under  his  shirt,  and  then 
stabs  himself.  They,  thinking  he  is  killed,  lament, 
when  he  grandly  comes  to  life,  and  is  regarded  as  a 
great  magician. 

1  The  coincidence  of  name  amounts  to  something,  as  Lox  is 
not,  I  believe,  an  Indian  word. 


170  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Of  the  Wolverine  and  the  Wolves,  or  hoiv  Master  Lox 
Froze  to  Death. 

(Passamaquoddy.) 

Of  old  times  it  came  to  pass  that  Master  Lox,  the 
Wolverine,  or  Indian  Devil,  he  who  was  slain  many 
times  and  as  often  rose  from  the  dead,  found  him 
self  deeply  down  in  luck  ;  for  he  was  crossing  a  wide 
and  dismal  heath  in  winter-time,  being  but  poorly 
provided  in  any  way  for  travel.  The  wind  blew 
like  knives  ;  the  snow  fell ;  sleet,  frost,  hail,  and  rain 
seemed  to  come  all  together  in  bad  company,  and  still 
Lox  was  not  happy,  although  he  had  no  blanket  or 
fur  coat  beyond  his  own.  Yet  this  evil-minded  jolly 
companion  with  every  vice  had  one  virtue,  and  that 
was  that  of  all  the  beasts  of  the  forest  or  devils  in 
P'lamkik9  he  was  the  hardest  hearted,  toughest,  and 
most  unconquerable,  being  ever  the  first  to  fight  and 
the  last  to  give  in,  which  even  then  he  did  not,  never 
having  done  it  and  never  intending  to  ;  whence  it 
happened  that  he  was  greatly  admired  and  made 
much  of  by  all  the  blackguardly  beasts  of  the  back 
woods,  —  wherein  they  differed  but  little  from  many 
among  men. 

Now  as  of  all  rowdies  and  rascals  the  wolves  are 
the  worst,  we  may  well  believe  that  it  was  with  great 
joy  Lox  heard,  as  the  darkness  was  coming  on,  a 
long,  sad  howl,  far  away,  betokening  the  coming  of  a 
pack  of  these  pleasant  people  ;  to  which  he  raised  his 
own  voice  in  the  wolf  tongue,  —  for  he  was  learned  in 


THE  MERRY  TALES  OF  LOX.  171 

many  languages,  —  and  soon  was  surrounded  by  some 
fifteen  or  sixteen  lupine  land-loafers,  who  danced,  roll 
ing  over,  barking  and  biting  one  another,  all  for  very 
joy  at  meeting  with  him.  And  the  elder,  he  who  was 
captain,  or  the  sogmo,1  said,  "  Per  ad  venture  thou  wilt 
encamp  with  us  this  night,  for  it  is  ill  for  a  gentle 
man  to  be  alone,  where  he  might  encounter  vulgar 
fellows."  And  Lox  thanked  him  as  if  he  were  doing 
him  a  favor,  and  accepted  the  best  of  their  dried 
meat,  and  took  the  highest  place  by  their  fire,  and 
smoked  the  chief's  choicest  tomawe  out  of  his  best 
pipe,  and  all  that  with  such  vast  condescension  that 
the  wolves  grinned  with  delight. 

And  when  they  laid  them  down  to  sleep  he  that 
was  the  eldest,  or  the  sogmo,  bade  the  younger  cover 
their  guest  Lox  over  very  carefully.  Now  the  tail 
of  the  wolf  has  broad-spreading,  shaggy  hair,  and 
Lox,  being  sleepy,  really  thought  it  was  a  fur  blanket 
that  they  spread,  and  though  the  night  was  cold 
enough  to  crack  the  rocks  he  threw  the  covering  off ; 
twice  he  did  this,  and  the  chief  who  looked  after  him, 
with  all  the  rest,  admired  him  greatly  because  he 
cared  so  little  for  the  cold  or  for  their  care. 

And  having  eaten  after  they  arose,  when  in  the 
morning  they  would  wend  away,  the  Wolf  Chief  said 
unto  Lox,  "  Uncle,  thou  hast  yet  three  days'  hard 
travel  before  thee  in  a  land  where  there  is  neither 
home,  house,  nor  hearth,  and  it  will  be  ill  camping 
without  a  fire.  Now  I  have  a  most  approved  and  ex- 

1  Sogmo,  sagamore,  a  chief  ;  the  word  corrupted  into  sachem. 


172  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

cellent  charm,  or  spell,  by  which  I  can  give  thee  three 
fires,  but  no  more ;  yet  will  they  suffice,  one  for  each 
night,  until  thou  gettest  to  thy  journey's  end.  And 
this  is  the  manner  thereof :  that  thou  shalt  take  unto 
thee  dry  wood,  even  such  as  men  commonly  burn,  and 
thou  shalt  put  them  together,  even  as  boys  build  little 
wigwams  for  sport,  and  then  thou  shalt  jump  over  it. 
And  truly,  uncle,  this  is  an  approved  and  excellent 
charm  of  ripe  antiquity,  kept  as  a  solemn  secret  among 
the  wolves,  and  thou  art  the  first  not  of  our  holy 
nation  to  whom  it  hath  been  given."  So  they  parted. 

Now  Lox  trudged  on,  and  as  he  went  westwards 
kept  thinking  of  this  great  secret  of  the  pious  and 
peculiar  people,  and  wondering  if  it  were  even  as  the 
Wolf  said,  or  only  a  deceit ;  for  however  kindly  he 
was  treated  by  people,  he  always  suspected  that  they 
mocked  him  to  scorn,  or  were  preparing  to  do  so ;  for 
as  he  ever  did  this  thing  himself  to  every  condition 
of  mankind  or  beasts,  he  constantly  awaited  to  have  it 
done  to  him.  And  being  curious  withal,  and  anxious 
to  see  some  new  thing,  he  had  not  walked  half  an 
hour  ere  he  said,  "  Tush  !  let  me  try  it.  Yea,  and  I 
will ! "  So  building  up  the  sticks,  he  jumped  over 
them,  and  at  once  they  caught  fire  and  blazed  up, 
and  it  came  to  pass  even  as  the  Wolf  had  prophesied. 

Now  having  solaced  himself  by  the  heat,  Lox  went 
on.  And  anon  it  grew  cold  again,  and  he  began  to 
think  how  pleasant  it  was  to  be  warm ;  and  being,  like 
most  evil  people,  wanting  in  a  corner  of  wisdom,  he 
at  once  put  the  sticks  together  again  and  jumped  over 


THE  MERRY  TALES   OF  LOX.  173 

them,  and  as  before  there  rose  a  blaze,  and  he  was 
happy.  And  this  was  the  second  fire,  and  he  had  still 
three  cold  nights  before  him  before  he  could  reach 
his  home. 

And  yet  this  Wolverine,  who  was  so  wise  in  all 
wickedness  and  witty  in  evil-doing,  had  not  walked 
into  the  afternoon  before  he  began  to  think  of  the 
third  fire.  "  Truly,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  who  knows 
but  the  weather  may  take  a  turn  to  a  thaw,  and  give 
us  a  warm  night  ?  Hum  !  ha  !  methinks  by  the  look 
of  the  clouds  the  wind  will  soon  be  southwesterly. 
Have  I  not  heard  my  grandmother  say  that  such  a 
color,  even  the  red,  meant  something  ?  —  I  forget 
what,  but  it  might  be  a  warm  change.  Luck  be  011 
me,  I  will  risk  the  odds."  And,  saying  this,  he  set 
up  the  sticks  again ;  and  this  was  the  last  fire,  though 
it  was  not  even  the  first  night. 

And  when  he  came  after  dark  to  the  first  camping 
place  it  grew  cold  in  earnest.  Howbeit  Lox,  think 
ing  that  what  was  good  for  once  must  be  good  forever, 
made  him  his  little  pile  of  sticks  and  jumped  over 
them.  It  was  of  no  avail.  Finally,  when  he  had 
jumped  twenty  or  thirty  times  more,  there  arose  a  lit 
tle  smoke,  and,  having  his  heart  cheered  by  this,  he 
kept  on  jumping.  Now  it  is  said  that  there  can  be 
no  smoke  without  fire,  but  this  time  it  went  not  beyond 
smoke.  Then  Lox  jumped  again,  and  this  time  the 
Indian  Devil  came  up  within  him,  and  he  swore  by  it 
that  he  would  jump  till  it  blazed  or  burst.  So  he 
kept  on,  and  yet  there  came  no  comfort,  not  even  a 


174  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

spark ;  and  being  at  last  aweary  he  fell  down  in  a 
cwpon,  and  so  froze  to  death.  And  so  the  Devil  was 
dead,  and  that  was  the  last  of  him  for  that  turn ;  but 
I  think  he  got  over  it,  for  he  has  been  seen  many  a 
time  since. 

In  two  stories  Lox  (once  as  the  loup  cervier)  is  in 
timate  with  the  wolves.  Loki  was  the  father  of  the 
wolves.  Loki  is  fire  ;  here  Lox  dies  for  want  of  fire. 
Since  I  wrote  the  foregoing,  Mrs.  W.  Wallace  Brown 
has  learned  that  Lox  is  definitely  the  king  or  chief 
of  the  wolves,  and  that  many  Indians  deny  that  he  is 
really  an  animal  at  all,  though  he  assumes  the  forms 
of  certain  animals.  He  is  a  spirit,  and  the  Mischief 
Maker.  It  will  be  admitted  that  this  brings  the  Lox 
much  nearer  to  Loki. 

It  is  said  that  when  Glooskap  ]eft  the  world,  as  he 
took  away  with  him  the  kings  of  all  the  animals,  Lox 
went  with  him  as  king  of  the  Wolves.  This  is  an 
identification  of  him  with  Malsum,  the  Wolf,  himself. 

How  Master  Lox  played  a  Trick  on  Mrs.  Bear,  who  lost 
her  eyesight  and  had  her  eyes  opened. 

(Micmac.) 

Don't  live  with  mean  people  if  you  can  help  it. 
They  will  turn  your  greatest  sorrow  to  their  own  ac 
count  if  they  can.  Bad  habit  gets  to  be  devilish  sec 
ond  nature.  One  dead  herring  is  not  much,  but  one 
by  one  you  may  make  such  a  heap  of  them  as  to  stink 
out  a  whole  village. 


THE  MERRY  TALES   OF  LOX.  175 

As  it  happened  to  old  Mrs.  Bear,  who  was  easy  as 
regarded  people,  and  thought  well  of  everybody,  and 
trusted  all.  So  she  took  in  for  a  house-mate  another 
old  woman.  Their  wigwam  was  all  by  itself,  and  the 
next  neighbor  was  so  far  off  that  he  wras  not  their 
neighbor  at  all,  but  that  of  some  other  folks. 

One  night  the  old  women  made  up  a  fire,  and  lay 
down  and  \vent  to  sleep  Indian-fashion,  —  witkusoodi- 
jik,  —  heads  and  points,  so  that  both  could  lie  with 
their  back  to  the  fire. 

Now  while  they  were  sound  asleep,  Lox,  the  Wol 
verine,  or  Indian  Devil,  came  prowling  round.  Some 
people  say  it  was  Hespuns,  the  Eaccoon  ;  and  it  is  a 
fact  that  Master  Coon  can  play  a  very  close  game  of 
deviltry  on  his  own  account.  However,  this  time  it 
must  have  been  Lox,  as  you  can  see  by  the  tracks. 

While  they  were  both  sound  asleep  Lox  looked  in. 
He  found  the  old  women  asleep,  heads  and  points,  and 
at  once  saw  his  way  to  a  neat  little  bit  of  mischief. 
So,  going  into  the  woods,  he  cut  a  fine  long  sapling- 
pole  of  oio-bo-goos,  and  poked  one  end  of  it  into  the 
fire  till  it  was  a  burning  coal.  Then  he  touched  the 
soles  of  Mrs.  Bear  ;  and  she,  waking,  cried  out  to 
the  other,  "  Take  care  !  you  are  burning  me !  "  which 
the  other  denied  like  a  thunder-clap. 

Then  Master  Lox  carefully  applied  the  end  of  the 
hot  pole  to  the  feet  of  the  other  woman.  First  she 
dreamed  that  she  was  walking  on  hot  sand  and  roast 
ing  rocks  in  summer-time,  and  then  that  the  Mohawks 
were  cooking  her  at  the  death-fire  ;  and  then  she  woke 


176  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

up,  and,  seeing  where  she  was,  began  to  blame  Mrs. 
Bear  for  it  all,  just  as  if  she  were  a  Mohawk. 

Ah,  yes.  Well,  Master  Lox,  seeing  them  fighting 
in  a  great  rage,  burst  out  laughing,  so  that  he  actually 
burst  himself,  and  fell  down  dead  with  delight.  It 
was  a  regular  side-splitter.  When  my  grandfather 
said  that  we  always  laughed. 

In  the  morning,  when  the  women  came  out,  there 
lay  a  dead  devil  at  the  door.  He  must  indeed  have 
looked  like  a  Eaccoon  this  time ;  but  whatever  he 
was,  they  took  him,  skinned  him,  and  dressed  him  for 
breakfast.  Then  the  kettle  was  hung  and  the  water 
boiled,  and  they  popped  him  in.  But  as  soon  as  it 
began  to  scald  he  began  to  come  to  life.  In  a  minute 
he  was  all  together  again,  alive  and  well,  and  with 
one  good  leap  went  clear  of  the  kettle.  Rushing  out 
of  the  lodge,  he  grabbed  his  skin,  which  hung  on  a 
bush  outside,  put  it  on,  and  in  ten  seconds  was  safe 
in  the  greenwood.  He  just  saved  himself  with  a 
whole  skin. 

Now  Master  Lox  had  precious  little  time,  you  will 
say,  to  do  any  more  mischief  between  his  coming  to 
life  and  running  away ;  yet,  short  as  the  allowance 
was,  he  made  a  great  deal  of  it.  For  even  while 
jumping  out  his  wits  for  wickedness  came  to  him, 
and  he  just  kicked  the  edge  of  the  pot,  so  that  it 
spilled  all  the  scalding  hot  water  into  the  fire,  and 
threw  up  the  ashes  with  a  great  splutter.  They  flew 
into  the  eyes  of  Dame  Beav  and  blinded  her. 

Now  this  was  hard  on  the  old  lady.     She  could  not 


THE  MERRY  TALES   OF  LOX.  177 

go  out  hunting,  or  set  traps,  or  fish  any  more  ;  and 
her  partner,  being  mean,  kept  all  the  nice  morsels  for 
herself.  Mrs.  Bear  only  got  the  leanest  and  poorest 
of  the  meat,  though  there  was  plenty  of  the  best.  As 
niy  grandfather  used  to  say,  Mrs.  Bear  might  have 
fared  better  if  she  had  used  her  eyes  earlier. 

One  day,  when  she  was  sitting  alone  in  the  wigwam, 
Mrs.  Bear  began  to  remember  all  she  had  ever  heard 
about  eyes,  and  it  came  into  her  head  that  sometimes 
they  were  closed  up  in  such  a  way  that  clever  folk 
could  cut  them  open  again.  So  she  got  her  knife  and 
sharpened  it,  and,  carefully  cutting  a  little,  saw  the 
light  of  day.  Then  she  was  glad  indeed,  and  with  a 
little  more  cutting  found  that  she  could  see  as  well  as 
ever.  And  as  good  luck  does  not  come  single,  the 
very  first  thing  she  beheld  was  an  abundance  of  beau 
tiful  fat  venison,  fish,  and  maple-sugar  hung  up  over 
head. 

Dame  Bear  said  nothing  about  her  having  recov 
ered  her  eyesight.  She  watched  all  the  cooking  going 
on,  and  saw  the  daintiest  dinner,  which  all  went  into 
one  platter,  and  a  very  poor  lot  of  bones  and  scraps 
placed  in  another.  Then,  when  she  was  called  to  eat, 
she  simply  said  to  the  other  woman,  who  kept  the 
best,  "  Well,  you  have  done  well  for  yourself  !  " 

The  other  saw  that  Mrs.  Bear  had  recovered  her 
sight.  She  was  frightened,  for  Dame  Bear  was  by 
far  the  better  man  of  the  two.  So  she  cried  out, 
"  Bless  me !  what  a  mistake  I  've  made !  Why,  I 
gave  you  the  wrong  dish.  You  know,  my  dear  sis- 
12 


178  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

ter,  that  I  always  give  you  the  best  because  you  are 
blind." 

My  grandfather  said  that  after  this  Mrs.  Bear  kept 
her  eyes  open  on  people  in  two  ways.  And  it  always 
made  us  laugh,  that  did. 

The  Spirit  of  Mischief  in  these  stories  is  sometimes 
Lox,  the  Wolverine ;  at  others  the  Raccoon,  or  the 
Badger.  Their  adventures  are  interchangeable.  But 
the  character  is  always  the  same,  and  it  is  much  like 
that  of  Loki.  Now  Loki  is  Fire  ;  and  it  may  be  ob 
served  in  this  legend  that  the  wolverine  or  raccoon 
comes  to  life  when  thrown  into  scalding  water,  and 
that  in  another  narrative  Lox  dies  for  want  of  fire ; 
in  another  he  is  pricked  by  thorns  and  stung  by  ants. 
"  We  must,"  says  C.  F.  Keary,  in  his  Mythology  of  the 
Eddas,  "  admit  that  the  constant  appearance  of  thorn- 
hedges,  pricking  with  a  sleep-thorn  (Lox's  thorns  are 
his  bed),  in  German  and  Norse  legends,  is  a  mythical 
way  of  expressing  the  idea  of  the  funeral  fire." 

The  first  thing  that  the  Lox-Raccoon  does  in  this 
tale,  on  coming  to  life,  is  to  upset  a  pot  into  the  ashes 
for  mischief's  sake.  And  the  very  first  exploit  of  the 
magic  deer,  made  by  the  evil  spirits  and  sorcerers  in 
the  Kalevala  (Runes  XIII.),  is  thus  set  forth:  - 

"  Then  the  Hiisi  stag  went  bounding, 
Bounding  to  the  land  of  Pohja, 
Till  he  reached  the  fields  of  Lapland. 
Passing  there  before  a  cabin  (goatte), 
With  a  single  kick  while  running 


THE  MERRY  TALES  OF  LOX.  179 

He  upset  the  boiling  kettle, 
^         So  that  all  the  meat  went  rolling, 
Rolling  ruined  in  the  ashes, 
And  the  soup  upon  the  hearth-stone." 

This  is,  in  both  cases,  the  very  first  act  of  an  ani 
mal,  created  and  living  only  for  mischief,  on  coming 
to  a  magic  or  artificial  life. 

The  legends  of  Finland  and  Lapland  are  as  impor 
tant  as  the  Norse  to  explain  the  origin  of  our  Indian 
mythology. 

How  Lox  came  to  Grief  by  trying  to  catch  a  Salmon. 
(Passamaquoddy.) 

Kusk,  the  Crane,  had  two  brothers.  One  of  these 
was  Lox,  the  Wolverine,  or  Indian  Devil.  And  his 
other  brother  was  Koskomines,  the  Blue  Jay. 

Kusk  was  very  lazy,  and  one  day,  being  hungry, 
thought  he  would  go  and  get  a  dinner  from  Lox.  Lox 
served  him  a  kind  of  pudding-soup  in  a  broad,  flat 
platter.  Poor  Kusk  could  hardly  get  a  mouthful, 
while  Lox  lapped  it  all  up  with  ease. 

Soon  after,  Kusk  made  a  fine  soup,  and  invited  Lox 
to  dinner.  This  he  served  up  in  a  jug,  a  long  cylinder. 
None  of  it  had  Lox.  Kusk  ate  it  all. 

The  next  day  the  pair  went  to  dine  with  Blue  Jay. 
Blue  Jay  said,  "  Wait  till  I  get  our  food."  Then  he 
ran  out  on  a  bough  of  a  tree  which  spread  over  a 
river,  and  in  a  minute  fished  out  a  large  salmon. 
"  Truly,"  thought  Lox,  "  that  is  easy  to  do,  and  I  can 
do  it." 


180  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

So  the  next  day  he  invited  the  Blue  Jay  and  Crane 
to  feed  with  him.  Then  he,  too,  ran  down  40  the 
river  and  out  on  a  tree,  and,  seeing  a  fine  salmon, 
caught  at  it  with  his  claws.  But  he  had  not  learned 
the  art,  and  so  fell  into  the  river,  and  was  swept  away 
by  the  rushing  current. 

This  is  one  of  Esop's  fables  Indianized  and  oddly 
eked  out  with  a  fragment  from  a  myth  attributed  to 
both  Manobozho  and  the  Wabanaki  Kabbit.  As  the 
Wolverine  has  a  great  resemblance  to  Loki,  it  may  be 
here  observed  that,  while  he  dies  in  trying  to  catch  a 
salmon,  "  Loki,  in  the  likeness  of  a  salmon,  cast  him 
self  into  the  waterfall  of  Franangr,"  which  was  effec 
tively  his  last  act  in  life  before  being  captured  by  the 
gods,  as  told  in  the  Edda.  Otter,  in  the  Edda,  caught 
a  salmon,  and  was  then  caught  by  Loki.  There  is,  of 
course,  great  confusion  here,  but  the  Indian  tale  is  a 
mere  fragment,  carelessly  pieced  and  indifferently  told. 
Lox  is,  like  Loki,^re,  and  perishes  by  water. 

How  Master  Lox  as  a  Haccoon  killed  the  Bear  and  the 
Black  Cats,  and  performed  other  Notable  Feats  of  Skill, 
all  to  his  Great  Discredit. 

(Passamaquod  dy .) 

Now  of  old  time  there  is  a  tale  of  Hespuns,  the 
Raccoon,  according  to  the  Passamaquoddy  Indians, 
but  by  another  record  it  is  Master  Lox,  to  whom  all 
Indian  deviltry  truly  belongs.  And  this  is  the  story. 
One  fine  morning  Master  Lox  started  off  as  a  Kao- 


THE  MERRY  TALES   OF  LOX.  181 

coon  ; l  for  lie  walked  the  earth  in  divers  disguises,  to 
take  his  usual  roundabouts,  and  as  he  went  he  saw  a 
huge  bear,  as  the  manuscript  reads,  "  right  straight 
ahead  of  him." 

Now  the  old  Bear  was  very  glad  to  see  the  Eac- 
coon,  for  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  kill  him  at 
once  if  he  could :  firstly,  to  punish  him  for  his  sins ; 
and  secondly,  to  eat  him  for  breakfast.  Then  the 
Kaccoon  ran  into  a  hollow  tree,  the  Bear  following, 
and  beginning  to  root  it  up. 

Now  the  Coon  saw  that  in  a  few  minutes  the  tree 
would  go  and  he  be  gone.  But  he  began  to  sing  as  if 
he  did  not  care  a  bean,  and  said,  "  All  the  digging  and 
pushing  this  tree  will  never  catch  me.  Push  your 
way  in  backwards,  and  then  I  must  yield  and  die. 
But  that  you  cannot  do,  since  the  hole  is  too  small  for 
you."  Then  Mooin,  the  Bruin,  hearing  this,  believed 
it,  but  saw  that  he  could  easily  enlarge  the  hole,  which 
he  did,  and  so  put  himself  in  arrear  ;  upon  which 
the  Kaccoon  seized  him,  and  held  on  till  he  was 
slain.2 

Then  he  crawled  out  of  the  tree,  and,  having  made 
himself  a  fine  pair  of  mittens  out  of  the  Bear's  skin, 
started  off  again,  and  soon  saw  a  wigwam  from  which 
rose  a  smoke,  and,  walking  in,  he  found  a  family  of 
Begemkessisck,  or  Black  Cats.  So,  greeting  them,  he 

1  The  same  stories  are  attributed  to  the  Wolverine,  Badger, 
and  Raccoon. 

2  As  Reynard,  the  Fox,  won  the  victory  in  the  famous  tale  ver 
sified  by  Goethe.     Vide  Reinecke  Fuchs. 


182  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

said,  "  Young  folks,  comb  me  down  and  make  me 
nice,  and  I  will  give  you  these  beautiful  bear-skin  mit 
tens."  So  the  little  Black  Cats  combed  him  down, 
and  parted  his  hair,  and  brushed  his  tail,  and  while 
they  were  doing  this  he  fell  asleep ;  and  they,  being 
very  hungry,  took  the  fresh  bear  -  skin  mitts,  and 
scraped  them  all  up,  and  cooked  and  ate  them.  Then 
the  Coon,  waking  up,  looked  very  angry  at  them,  and 
said  in  an  awful  voice,  "  Where  are  my  bear-skin 
mitts  ?  "  And  they,  in  great  fear,  replied,  "  Please, 
sir,  we  cooked  and  ate  them."  Then  the  Coon  flew 
at  them  and  strangled  them  every  one,  all  except  the 
youngest,  who,  since  he  could  not  speak  as  yet,  the 
Raccoon,  or  Lox,  thought  could  not  tell  of  him. 
Then,  for  a  great  joke,  he  took  all  the  little  dead 
creatures  and  set  them  up  by  the  road-side  in  a  row ; 
as  it  was  a  cold  day  they  all  froze  stiff,  and  then  he 
put  a  stick  across  their  jaws,  so  that  the  little  Black 
Cats  looked  as  if  they  were  laughing  for  joy.  Then 
he  made  off  at  full  speed. 

Soon  the  father,  the  old  Black  Cat,  came  home, 
and,  seeing  his  children  all  grinning  at  him,  he  said, 
"How  glad  the  dear  little  things  are  to  see  me."  But 
as  none  moved  he  saw  that  something1  was  wrong1,  and 

O  O ' 

his  joy  soon  changed  to  sorrow.1 

Then  the  youngest  Black  Cat,  the  baby,  came  out 

1  This  trick  is  so  precisely  in  the  style  of  Lox  that  it  seems  a 
gross  mistake  to  attribute  it  to  the  Raccoon.  Those  who  have 
seen  a  wild  cat  grin  will  appreciate  the  humor  of  Lox  on  this 
occasion. 


THE  MERRY  TALES   OF  LOX.  183 

of  some  hole  where  he  had  hid  himself .  Now  the  baby 
was  too  young  to  speak,  but  he  was  very  clever,  and, 
picking  up  a  piece  of  charcoal,  he  made  a  mark  from 
the  end  of  his  mouth  around  his  cheek.1  Then  the 
father  cried,  "  Ah,  now  I  know  who  it  was,  —  the  Rac 
coon,  as  sure  as  I  live !  "  And  he  started  after  him 
in  hot  pursuit. 

Soon  the  Raccoon  saw  the  fierce  Black  Cat,  as  an 
Indian,  coming  after  him  with  a  club.  And,  looking 
at  him,  he  said,  "  No  club  can  kill  me  ;  nothing  but  a 
bulrush  or  cat-tail  can  take  my  life."  Then  the  Black 
Cat,  who  knew  where  to  get  one,  galloped  off  to  a 
swamp,  and,  having  got  a  large  cat-tail,  came  to  the 
Coon  and  hit  him  hard  with  it.  It  burst  and  spread 
all  over  the  Raccoon's  head,  and,  being  wet,  the  fuzz 
stuck  to  him.  And  the  Black  Cat,  thinking  it  was 
the  Coon's  brains  and  all  out,  went  his  way. 

The  Raccoon  lay  quite  still  till  his  foe  was  gone, 
and  then  went  on  his  travels.  Now  he  was  a  great 
magician,  though  little  to  other  folks'  good.  And  he 
came  to  a  place  where  there  were  many  women  nurs 
ing  their  babes,  and  said,  "  This  is  but  a  slow  way  you 
have  of  raising  children."  To  which  the  good  women 
replied,  "  How  else  should  we  raise  them  ?  "  Then  he 
answered,  "  I  will  show  you  how  we  do  in  our  country. 
When  we  want  them  to  grow  fast,  we  dip  them  into 
cold  water  over  night.  Just  lend  me  one,  and  I  will 
show  you  how  to  raise  them  in  a  hurry."  They  gave 

1  The  reader  cannot  fail  to  recall  the  peculiar  mustache  of  the 
Raccoon  so  well  indicated  by  the  infant  artist. 


184  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

him  one :  he  took  it  to  the  river,  and,  cutting  a  hole  in 
the  ice,  put  the  child  into  it.  The  next  morning  he 
went  to  the  place,  and  took  out  a  full-grown  man,  alive 
and  well.  The  women  were  indeed  astonished  at  this. 
All  hastened  to  put  their  babes  that  night  under  the 
ice,  and  then  the  Raccoon  rushed  away.  So  they  all 
died. 

Then  he  came  to  another  camp,  where  many  women 
with  fine  stuff  and  furs  were  making  bags.  "  That 
is  a  very  slow  way  you  have  of  working,"  he  said 
to  the  goodwives.  "  In  our  country  we  cook  them 
under  the  ashes.  Let  me  see  the  stuff  and  show  you 
how  !  "  They  gave  him  a  piece :  he  put  it  under  the 
hot  coals  and  ashes,  and  in  a  few  minutes  drew  out 
from  them  a  beautiful  bag.  Then  they  all  hurried  to 
put  their  cloth  under  the  fire.  Just  then  he  left  in 
haste.  And  when  they  drew  the  stuff  out  it  was 
scorched  or  burned,  and  all  spoiled. 

Then  he  came  to  a  great  river,  and  did  not  know 
how  to  get  across.  He  saw  on  the  bank  an  old  Wi- 
willmelcq\  a  strange  worm  which  is  like  a  horned  al 
ligator  ;  but  he  was  blind.  "  Grandfather,"  said  the 
Raccoon,  "  carry  me  over  the  lake."  "  Yes,  my  grand 
son,"  said  the  Wiwillmekq',  and  away  he  swam ;  the 
Ravens  and  Crows  above  began  to  ridicule  them. 
"  What  are  those  birds  saying  ?  "  inquired  the  Old 
One.  "  Oh,  they  are  crying  to  you  to  hurry,  hurry, 
for  your  life,  with  that  Raccoon  !  "  So  the  Wiwill 
mekq',  not  seeing  land  ahead,  hurried  with  such  speed 
that  the  Raccoon  made  him  run  his  head  and  half  his 


THE  MERRY  TALES   OF  LOX.  185 

body  into  the  bank,  and  then  jumped  off  and  left 
him.  But  whether  the  Wiwillmekq'  ever  got  out 
again  is  more  than  he  ever  troubled  himself  to  know. 

So  he  went  on  till  he  came  to  some  Black  Berries, 
and  said,  "  Berries,  how  would  you  agree  with  me  if 
I  should  eat  you?"  "Badly  indeed,  Master  Coon," 
they  replied,  "  for  we  are  Choke-berries."  "  Choke- 
berries,  indeed !  Then  I  will  have  none  of  you."  And 
then  further  he  found  on  some  bushes,  Rice-berries. 
"  Berries,"  he  cried,  "  how  would  you  agree  with  me 
if  I  should  eat  you  ?  "  "  We  should  make  you  itch,  for 
we  are  Itch-berries."  "  Ah,  that  is  what  I  like,"  he 
replied,  and  so  ate  his  fill.  Then  as  he  went  on  he 
felt  very  uneasy :  he  seemed  to  be  tormented  with 
prickles,  he  scratched  and  scratched,  but  it  did  not 
help  or  cure.  So  he  rubbed  himself  on  a  ragged  rock ; 
he  slid  up  and  down  it  till  the  hair  came  off. 

Now  the  Raccoon  is  bare  or  has  little  fur  where  he 
scratched  himself,  to  this  very  day.  This  story  is  at 
an  end. 

This  story  is  from  the  Passamaquoddy  Indian-Eng 
lish  collection  made  for  me  by  Louis  Mitchell.  In 
the  original,  the  same  incident  of  boiling  the  hero  in 
a  kettle  and  of  his  springing  out  of  it  occurs  as  in 
the  tale  of  Mrs.  Bear  and  the  Raccoon.  This  I  have 
here  omitted.  The  Mephistophelian  and  mocking 
character  of  Lox  is  strongly  shown  when  he  says, 
"  Nothing  but  a  cat-tail  or  bulrush  can  kill  me,"  this 
being  evidently  an  allusion  to  Glooskap.  This  is  to 


186  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

an  Indian  much  like  blasphemy.  Lox,  or  Raccoon,  or 
Badger,  —  for  they  are  all  the  same,  —  in  his  journey- 
ings  after  mere  mischief  reminds  us  of  an  Indian  Tyll 
Eulenspiegel.  But  the  atrocious  nature  of  his  jokes 
is  like  nothing  else,  unless  it  be  indeed  the  homicide 
Punch.  It  is  the  indomitable  nature  of  both  which 
commends  them  respectively  to  the  Englishman  and 
to  the  Red  Indian.  In  this  tale  Lox  appears  as  the 
spirit  of  fire  by  drawing  a  bag  from  it.  The  itching 
or  pricking  from  which  he  suffers  is  also  significant  of 
that  element,  as  appears,  according  to  Keary,  in  many 
Norse,  etc.,  legends. 

In  the  Seneca  tale  of  the  Mischief  Maker,  the  Ber 
ries  are  distinctly  declared  to  have  souls. 

How  Lox  deceived  the  Ducks,  cheated  the  Chief,  and  be 
guiled  the  Bear. 
(Micmac  and  Passamaquoddy.) 

Somewhere  in  the  forest  lived  Lox,  with  a  small 
boy,  his  brother.  When  winter  came  they  went  far 
into  the  woods  to  hunt.  And  going  on,  they  reached 
at  last  a  very  large  and  beautiful  lake.  It  was  cov 
ered  with  water-fowl.  There  were  wild  geese  and  brant, 
black  ducks  and  wood -ducks,  and  all  the  smaller 
kinds  down  to  teal  and  whistlers. 

The  small  boy  was  delighted  to  see  so  much  game. 
He  eagerly  asked  his  brother  how  he  meant  to  catch 
them.  He  answered,  "  We  must  first  go  to  work  and 
build  a  large  wigwam.  It  must  be  very  strong,  with 
a  heavy,  solid  door."  This  was  done;  and  Lox,  being 


THE  MERRY  TALES   OF  LOX.  187 

a  great  magician,  thus  arranged  his  plans  for  taking 
the  wild-fowl.  He  sent  the  boy  out  to  a  point  of  land, 
where  he  was  to  cry  to  the  birds  and  tell  them  that 
his  brother  wished  to  give  them  a  kingly  reception. 
(Nakamit,  to  act  the  king.)  He  told  them  their  king 
had  come.  Then  Lox,  arraying  himself  grandly,  sat 
with  dignity  next  the  door,  with  his  eyes  closed,  as  if 
in  great  state.  Then  the  little  boy  shouted  that  they 
might  enter  and  hear  what  the  great  sagamore  had 
to  say.  They  flocked  in,  and  took  their  seats  in  the 
order  of  their  size.  The  Wild  Geese  came  nearest 
and  sat  down,  then  the  Ducks,  and  so  on  to  the  small 
est,  who  sat  nearest  the  door.  Last  of  all  came  the 
boy,  who  entering  also  sat  down  by  the  door,  closed  it, 
and  held  it  fast.  So  the  little  birds,  altumabedajik 
(M.),  sat  next  to  him. 

Then  they  were  all  told  "  Spegwedajik  !  "  "  Shut 
your  eyes ! "  and  were  directed  to  keep  them  closed 
for  their  very  lives,  until  directed  to  open  them  again. 
Unless  they  did  this  first,  their  eyes  would  be  blinded 
forever  when  they  beheld  their  king  in  all  his  magnif 
icence.  So  they  sat  in  silence.  Then  the  sorcerer, 
stepping  softly,  took  them  one  by  one,  grasping  each 
tightly  by  the  wings,  and  ere  the  bird  knew  what  he 
was  about  it  had  its  head  crushed  between  his  teeth. 
And  so  without  noise  or  fluttering  he  killed  all  the 
Wild  Geese  and  Brant  and  Black  Ducks.  Then  the 
little  boy  began  to  pity  the  poor  small  wild-fowl.  He 
thought  it  was  a  shame  to  kill  so  many,  having  al 
ready  more  than  they  needed.  So  stooping  down,  he 


188  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

whispered  to  a  very  little  bird  to  open  its  eyes.  It 
did  so,  but  very  cautiously  indeed,  for  fear  of  being 
blinded. 

Great  was  his  horror  to  see  what  Lox  was  doing ! 
He  screamed,  "  Kedumed^lk !  "  "We  are  all  being 
killed !  "  Then  they  opened  their  eyes,  and  flew  about 
in  the  utmost  confusion,  screaming  loudly  in  terror. 
The  little  boy  dropped  down  as  if  he  had  been  knocked 
over  in  the  confusion,  so  that  the  door  flew  wide  open, 
and  the  birds,  rushing  over  him,  began  to  escape,  while 
Lox  in  a  rage  continued  to  seize  them  and  kill  them 
with  his  teeth.  Then  the  little  boy,  to  avoid  suspi 
cion,  grasped  the  last  fugitive  by  the  legs  and  held 
him  fast.  But  he  was  suspected  all  the  same  by  the 
wily  sorcerer,  who  caught  him  up  roughly,  and  would 
have  beaten  him  cruelly  but  that  he  earnestly  pro 
tested  that  the  birds  knocked  him  down  and  forced 
the  door  open,  and  that  he  could  by  no  means  help  it : 
which  being  somewhat  slowly  believed,  he  was  for 
given,  and  they  began  to  pluck  and  dress  the  game. 
The  giblets  were  preserved,  the  fowls  sliced  and  dried 
and  laid  by  for  the  winter's  store. 

Then  having  plenty  of  provisions,  Lox  gave  a 
feast.  Among  the  guests  were  Marten  and  Mahti- 
gwess,  the  Rabbit,  who  talked  together  for  a  long 
time  in  the  most  confidential  manner,  the  Rabbit  con 
fiding  and  the  Marten  attending  to  him. 

Now  while  this  conversation  had  been  going  on,  Lox, 
who  was  deeply  addicted  to  all  kinds  of  roguery  and 
mischief,  had  listened  to  it  with  interest.  And  when 


THE  MERRY  TALES  OF  LOX.  189 

the  two  little  guests  had  ceased  he  asked  them  where 
their  village  was,  and  who  lived  in  it.  Then  he  was 
told  that  all  the  largest  animals  had  their  homes 
there  :  the  bear,  caribou  or  reindeer,  deer,  wolf,  wild 
cat,  to  say  nothing  of  squirrels  and  mice.  And  having 
got  them  to  show  him  the  way,  he  some  time  after 
turned  himself  into  a  young  woman  of  great  beauty, 
or  at  least  disguised  himself  like  one,  and  going  to  the 
village  married  the  young  chief.  And  having  left  lit 
tle  Marten  alone  in  a  hollow  tree  outside  the  village, 
the  boy,  getting  hungry,  began  to  howl  for  food  ; 
which  the  villagers  hearing  were  in  a  great  fright. 
But  the  young  chief's  wife,  or  the  magician  Lox, 
soon  explained  to  them  what  it  meant.  "  It  is,"  she- 
he  said,  "  Owoolakumooejit,  the  Spirit  of  Famine. 
He  is  grim  and  gaunt ;  hear  how  he  howls  for  food  ! 
Woe  be  unto  you,  should  he  reach  this  village  !  Ah, 
I  remember  only  too  well  what  happened  when  he 
once  came  among  us.  Horror !  starvation  !  " 

"  Can  you  drive  him  back  ?  "  cried  all  the  villagers. 

"  Yes,  't  is  in  my  power.  Do  but  give  me  the  well- 
tanned  hide  of  a  yearling  moose  and  a  good  supply 
of  moose-tallow,1  then  the  noise  will  cease."  And 
seizing  it,  and  howling  furiously  the  name  of  his 
brother  after  a  fashion  which  no  one  could  under 
stand, —  Aa-chowwa'n!  —  and  bidding  him  begone, 
he  rushed  out  into  the  night,  until  he  came  to  Mar 
ten,  to  whom  he  gave  the  food,  and,  wrapping  him  up 
well  in  the  moose-skin,  bade  him  wait  a  while.  And 
1  A  great  delicacy  among  these  semi- Arctic  Indians. 


190      THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

the  villagers  thought  the  chief's  wife  was  indeed  a 
very  great  conjurer. 

And  then  she-he  announced  that  a  child  would  soon 
be  born.  And  when  the  day  came  Badger  handed  out 
a  bundle,  and  said  that  the  babe  was  in  it.  "  Nool- 
musugakelaimadijul"  "  They  kiss  it  outside  the  blan 
ket."  But  when  the  chief  opened  it  what  he  found 
therein  was  the  dried,  withered  embryo  of  a  moose- 
calf.  In  a  great  rage  he  flung  it  into  the  fire,  and 
all  rushed  headlong  in  a  furious  pack  to  catch  Badger. 
They  saw  him  and  Marten  rushing  to  the  lake.  They 
pursued  him,  but  when  he  reached  the  bank  the  wily 
sorcerer  cast  in  a  stick ;  it  turned  into  a  canoe,  and 
long  ere  the  infuriated  villagers  could  reach  them 
they  were  on  the  opposite  shore  and  in  the  woods. 

Now  it  came  to  pass  one  day  that  as  Lox  sat  on  a 
log  a  bear  came  by,  who,  being  a  sociable  fellow,  sat 
down  by  him  and  smoked  a  pipe.  While  they  were 
talking  a  gull  flew  over,  and  inadvertently  offered  to 
Lox  what  he  considered,  or  affected  to  consider,  as  a 
great  insult.  And  wiping  the  insult  off,  Lox  cried 
to  the  Gull,  "  Oh,  ungrateful  and  insolent  creature, 
is  this  the  way  you  reward  me  for  having  made  you 
white !  " 

Now  the  Bear  would  always  be  white  if  he  could, 
for  the  White  Bear  (wabeyu  mooin)  is  the  aristocrat 
of  Beardom.  So  he  eagerly  cried,  "  Ha !  did  you 
make  the  Gull  white  ?  " 

"  Indeed  I  did,"  replied  Lox.  "  And  this  is  what 
I  get  for  it." 


THE  MERRY  TALES  OF  LOX.  191 

"  Could  you,  my  dear  friend,  —  could  you  make  me 
white  ?  " 

Then  Lox  saw  his  way,  and  replied  that  he  could 
indeed,  but  that  it  would  be  a  long  and  agonizing 
process ;  Mooin  might  die  of  it.  To  be  sure  the  Gull 
stood  it,  but  could  a  Bear? 

Now  the  Bear,  who  had  a  frame  as  hard  as  a  rock, 
felt  sure  that  he  could  endure  anything  that  a  gull 
could,  especially  to  become  a  white  bear.  So,  with 
much  ceremony,  the  Great  Enchanter  went  to  work. 
He  built  a  strong  wigwam,  three  feet  high,  of  stones, 
and  having  put  the  Bear  into  it  he  cast  in  red-hot 
stones,  and  poured  water  on  them  through  a  small 
hole  in  the  roof.  Erelong  the  Bear  was  in  a  terrible 
steam.  / 

"  Ah,  Doctor  Lox,"  he  cried,  "  this  is  awfully  hot ! 
I  fear  I  am  dying  !  " 

"  Courage,"  said  Lox  ;  "  this  is  nothing.  The  Gull 
had  it  twice  as  hot." 

"  Can't  stand  it  any  more,  doctor.      O-o-o-oh  !  " 

Doctor  Lox  threw  in  more  hot  stones  and  poured 
more  water  on  them.  The  Bear  yelled. 

"  Let  me  out !      O-o-h  !  let  me  out !     0-o-o-oJi  !  " 

So  he  came  bursting  through  the  door.  The  doc 
tor  examined  him  critically. 

Now  there  is  on  an  old  bear  a  small  white  or  light 
spot  on  his  upper  breast,  which  he  cannot  see.1  And 
Doctor  Lox,  looking  at  this,  said,  — 

"  What  a  pity !  You  came  out  just  as  you  were  be- 
1  This  is  very  white  on  the  Japanese  bears. 


192  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

ginning  to  turn  white.  Here  is  the  first  spot.  Five 
minutes  more  and  you  'd  have  been  a  white  bear. 
Ah,  you  have  n't  the  pluck  of  a  gull ;  that  I  can  see." 

Now  the  Bear  was  mortified  and  disappointed.  He 
had  not  seen  the  spot,  so  he  asked  Lox  if  it  was  really 
there. 

"  Wait  a  minute,"  said  the  doctor.  He  led  the 
Bear  to  a  pool  and  made  him  look  in.  Sure  enough, 
the  spot  was  there.  Then  he  asked  if  they  could  not 
begin  again. 

"  Certainly  we  can,"  replied  the  doctor.  "  But  it 
will  be  much  hotter  and  harder  and  longer  this  time. 
Don't  try  it  if  you  feel  afraid,  and  don't  blame  me  if 
you  die  of  it." 

The  Bear  went  in  again,  but  he  never  came  out 
alive.  The  doctor  had  roast  bear  meat  all  that  win 
ter,  and  much  bear's  oil.  He  gave  some  of  the  oil  to 
his  younger  brother.  The  boy  took  it  in  a  measure. 
Going  along  the  creek,  he  saw  a  Muskrat  (Keuchus, 
Pass.).  He  said  to  the  Muskrat,  "If  you  can  harden 
this  oil  for  me,  I  will  give  you  half."  The  Muskrat 
made  it  as  hard  as  ice.  The  boy  said,  "  If  my  brother 
comes  and  asks  you  to  do  this  for  him,  do  you  keep 
it  all."  And,  returning,  he  showed  the  oil  thus  har 
dened  to  his  brother,  who,  taking  a  large  measure  of 
it,  went  to  the  Muskrat  and  asked  him  to  harden  it. 
The  Muskrat  indeed  took  the  dish  and  swam  away 
with  it,  and  never  returned. 

Then  the  elder,  vexed  with  the  younger,  and  re 
membering  the  ducks  in  the  wigwam,  and  believing 
now  that  he  had  indeed  been  cheated,  slew  him. 


THE    INDIAN    BOY    AND   THE    MUSK-RAT.     SEEPS,  THE   DUCK. 


THE  MERRY  TALES   OF  LOX.  193 

This  confused  and  strange  story  is  manifestly  pieced 
together  out  of  several  others,  each  of  which  have  in 
cidents  in  common.  A  part  of  it  is  very  ancient. 
Firstly,  the  inveigling  the  ducks  into  the  wigwam  is 
found  in  the  Eskimo  tale  of  Avurungnak  (Rink,  p. 
177).  The  Eskimo  is  told  by  a  sorcerer  to  let  the 
sea-birds  into  the  tent,  and  not  to  begin  to  kill  them 
till  the  tent  is  full.  He  disobeys,  and  a  part  of  them 
escape.  In  Schoolcraft's  Hiawatha  Legends,  Mano- 
bozho  gets  the  mysterious  oil  which  ends  the  fore 
going  story  from  a  fish.  He  fattens  all  the  animals 
in  the  world  with  it,  and  the  amount  which  they  con 
sume  is  the  present  measure  of  their  fatness.  When 
this  ceremony  is  over,  he  inveigles  all  the  birds  into 
his  power  by  telling  them  to  shut  their  eyes.  At 
last  a  small  duck,  the  diver,  suspecting  something, 
opens  one  eye,  and  gives  the  alarm. 

The  sorcerer's  passing  himself  off  for  a  woman  and 
the  trick  of  the  moose  abortion  occurs  in  three  tales, 
but  it  is  most  completely  given  in  this.  To  this  point 
the  narrative  follows  the  Micmac,  Passamaquoddy, 
and  Chippewa  versions.  After  the  tale  of  the  chief 
is  at  an  end  it  is  entirely  Passamaquoddy ;  but  of  the 
latter  I  have  two  versions,  one  from  Tomah  Josephs 
and  one  from  Mrs.  "VV.  Wallace  Brown. 

I  can  see  no  sense  in  the  account  of  the  bear's  oil 
hardened  by  ice,  but  that  oil  is  an  essential  part  of 
the  duck  story  appears  from  the  Chippewa  legend 
(Hiawatha  L.  p.  30).  In  the  latter  it  is  represented 
as  giving  size  to  those  who  partake  of  it. 

13 


194  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

The  Mischief  Maker.     A  Tradition  of  the  Origin  of  the 
Mythology  of  the  Senecas.     A  Lox  Legend. 

(Seneca.) 

An  Indian  mischief  maker  was  once  roving  about. 
He  saw  that  he  was  approaching  a  village,  and  said, 
"  How  can  I  attract  attention  ?  " 

Seeing  two  girls  coming  from  the  wigwams,  he 
pulled  up  a  wild  plum-bush  and  placed  it  upon  his 
head,  the  roots  clasping  about  his  chin. 

"  It  will  be  strange  to  see  a  plum-tree  on  my  head, 
bearing  ripe  fruit.  These  girls  will  want  trees  also." 
So  he  thought. 

The  tree  shook  as  he  walked,  and  many  plums  fell 
to  the  ground. 

The  girls  wondered  greatly  at  the  strange  man  with 
the  tree.  They  admired  it,  and  said  they,  too,  would 
like  to  be  always  supplied  with  fruit  in  such  a  man 
ner. 

"  I  can  manage  that,"  he  replied.  So  he  pulled 
up  a  bush  for  each,  and  planted  them  on  their  heads. 
The  plums  were  delicious,  and  grew  as  fast  as  they 
were  plucked ;  and  the  girls  stepped  along  proudly, 
for  they  had  something  which  certainly  no  girls  ever 
had  before. 

The  Mischief  Maker  went  on  to  the  village.  On 
the  way  he  reflected,  "  There  is  no  such  thing  in  the 
world  as  a  plum-tree  growing  on  a  man's  head.  I 
will  take  this  off."  He  did  so,  and,  on  entering  the 
village,  gave  a  loud  signal  (a  whoop).  All  the  peo- 


THE  MERRY  TALES  OF  LOX.  195 

pie  listened,  and  the  chiefs  sent  messengers  to  inquire 
what  news  he  brought. 

lie  said,  "  I  have  seen  a  very  strange  sight.  As  I 
was  coming  hither  I  saw  two  girls  walking.  Trees 
grew  on  their  heads ;  the  boughs  were  covered  with 
plums,  and  the  roots,  which  came  through  their  hair, 
were  fastened  about  their  necks.  They  were  beauti 
ful,  and  seemed  to  be  very  happy." 

"  We  will  go  and  see  them  !  "  cried  the  women. 

They  had  not  gone  far  before  they  saw  one  of  the 
girls  lying  on  the  ground,  while  the  other  pulled  at 
the  tree  on  her  head.  The  roots  gave  way  and  the 
tree  came  out,  but  all  the  hair  came  with  it  also. 
Then  the  other  lay  down,  and  her  friend  in  turn 
pulled  the  tree  from  her  head.  They  were  very  an 
gry,  and  said,  "  If  we  meet  with  the  man  who  played 
us  this  trick  we  will  punish  him." 

When  the  women  who  had  gathered  round  them 
learned  how  the  trees  had  been  fastened  by  magic 
upon  the  girls'  heads,  they  returned  to  the  village,  re 
solved  to  chastise  the  man  who  had  played  the  trick. 
But  when  they  reached  home  he  was  gone. 

Gone  far  and  away  to  another  town.  Before  reach 
ing  it  he  sat  down,  and  said,  "  Now  I  will  show  these 
people  also  what  I  can  do."  He  went  a  little  distance 
into  the  woods,  where  he  found  a  wigwam.  A  woman 
with  a  bucket  in  her  hand  came  from  it.  He  Saw  that 
as  she  passed  along  she  reached  high  with  one  hand, 
and  felt  her  way  by  a  thong  which  ran  from  tree  to 
tree  till  it  ended  at  a  spring  of  cold  water.  She 


196  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

went  on,  filled  her  bucket,  and  so  returned.  Then 
another  woman  after  her  did  the  same. 

"  They  must  be  blind,"  said  the  Mischief  Maker. 
"  I  will  have  some  fun  with  them."  And  so  it  was. 
There  lived  in  that  wigwam  five  blind  sisters. 

Then  he  untied  the  thong  from  the  tree  near  the 
spring  and  fastened  it  to  another,  where  there  was  no 
water.  Then  a  third  blind  woman  came  with  a  bucket, 
and  followed  the  line  to  the  end,  but  found  no  water. 
She  returned  to  the  wigwam,  and  said,  "  The  spring 
is  dried  up." 

"  No,  it  is  n't,"  replied  one  of  the  sisters,  who  was 
stirring  pudding  over  the  fire.  "  You  say  that  be 
cause  you  are  too  lazy  to  bring  water ;  you  never 
work.  Here,  do  you  stir  the  pudding,  and  let  mo  go 
for  water." 

The  Mischief  Maker  heard  all  this,  and  made  haste 
to  tie  the  end  of  the  thong  where  it  belonged.  The 
blind  woman  filled  her  bucket,  and  when  she  returned 
said  to  her  sister,  "  There,  you  lazy  creature,  I  found 
the  water !  " 

By  this  time  the  Mischief  Maker  was  in  the  house, 
and  slipping  quietly  up  to  the  fire  he  dipped  out  some 
of  the  pudding  and  threw  it,  scalding  hot,  into  the 
face  of  the  scolding  woman,  who  cried  in  a  rage,  — 

"  You  throw  hot  pudding  at  me,  do  you  ?  " 

"No,  I  did  not  throw  any  at  you,"  replied  the 
sister. 

Then  the  Mischief  Maker  threw  some  into  her  face. 
She  screamed,  being  very  angry. 


THE  MERRY  TALES   OF  LOX.  197 

"  You  mean  thing !  You  threw  hot  pudding  at  me, 
when  I  did  you  no  harm." 

"  I  did  n't  throw  any  !  "  said  the  other,  in  a  rage. 

"  Yes,  you  did,  you  mean  thing !  " 

"Stop!  stop!"  cried  the  others.  Just  then  hot 
pudding  flew  in  all  their  faces  ;  they  had  a  terrible 
quarrel,  and  the  Mischief  Maker  left  them  to  settle 
it  among  themselves  as  they  could. 

He  entered  the  village  near  by,  and  gave  the  usual 
signal  for  news.  The  runners  came  out  and  met  him ; 
the  chiefs  and  all  the  people  assembled,  lining  the 
path  on  both  sides  for  a  long  way.  They  asked, 
"  What  news  do  you  bring?  " 

He  replied,  "I  come  from  a  village  where  there 
is  great  distress.  A  pestilence  visited  the  people.  The 
medicine  man  could  not  cure  the  sick;  till  I  came 
there  was  no  remedy ;  the  tribe  was  becoming  very 
small.  But  I  told  them  the  remedy,  and  now  they 
are  getting  well.  I  have  come  to  tell  you  to  prepare 
for  the  pestilence  :  it  will  soon  be  here ;  it  is  flying 
like  the  wind,  and  there  is  only  one  remedy." 

"  What  is  it?  what  is  it?  what  is  it?"  interrupted 
the  people. 

He  answered,  "Every  man  must  embrace  the  wo 
man  who  is  next  to  him  at  this  very  instant;  kiss 
her,  quick,  immediately !  " 

They  all  did  so  on  the  spot,  he  with  the  rest. 

As  he  was  leaving  them  an  elderly  man  came  to 
him  and  whispered,  "  Are  you  going  to  do  this  thing 
again  at  the  next  village  ?  If  you  are  I  should  like 


198  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

to  be  on  hand.  I  did  n't  get  any  girl  myself  here. 
The  woman  I  went  for  dodged  me,  and  said  she  had 
rather  have  the  pestilence,  and  death  too,  than  have 
me  kiss  her.  Is  the  operation  to  be  repeated  ?  " 

The  Mischief  Maker  said  that  it  certainly  would 
be,  about  the  middle  of  the  morrow  forenoon. 

tk  Then  I  will  start  now,"  said  the  middle-aged 
man,  "  for  I  am  lame,  and  it  will  take  me  all  night 
to  get  there." 

So  he  hurried  on,  and  at  daylight  entered  the  vil 
lage.  He  found  a  wigwam,  by  which  several  beauti 
ful  Indian  girls  were  pounding  corn  in  a  great  wooden 
mortar.  He  sat  down  by  them.  Pie  could  hardly 
take  his  eyes  from  them,  they  were  so  charming,  and 
they  wondered  at  his  strange  behavior. 

He  talked  with  them,  and  said,  "  My  eyelids 
quiver,  and  by  that  I  know  that  some  great  and 
strange  news  will  soon  be  brought  to  this  tribe. 
Hark !  "  —  here  he  moved  up  towards  the  one  whom 
he  most  admired,  —  "  did  you  not  hear  a  signal  ?  " 

"  No,"  they  replied. 

The  middle-aged  man  became  very  uneasy.  Sud 
denly  the  girls  gave  a  cry,  and  dropped  their  corn 
pssiles.  A  voice  was  heard  afar ;  the  runners  leaped 
and  flew,  tLo  chiefs  and  people  went  forth.  With 
them  went  the  girls  and  the  middle-aged  man,  who 
took  great  pains  to  keep  very  near  his  chosen  one, 
so  as  to  lose  no  time  in  applying  the  remedy  for  the 
pestilence  when  the  Mischief  Maker  should  give  the 
signal.  He  was  determined  that  a  life  should  not  be 
lost  if  he  could  prevent  it. 


THE  MERRY   TALES   OF  LOX.  199 

The  Stranger  went  through  his  story  as  at  the  other 
village.  The  people  became  very  much  excited.  They 
cried  out  to  know  the  remedy,  and  the  old  bachelor 
drew  nearer  to  the  pretty  girl. 

"  The  only  remedy  for  the  pestilence  is  for  every 
woman  to  knock  down  the  man  who  is  nearest  her." 

The  women  began  to  knock  down,  and  the  first  to 
fall  was  the  too  familiar  old  bachelor.  So  the  Mis 
chief  Maker  waited  no  longer  than  to  see  the  whole 
town  in  one  general  and  bitter  fight,  tooth  and  nail, 
tomahawk  and  scalper,  and  then  ran  at  the  top  of 
his  speed  far  away  and  fleet,  to  find  another  village. 
Then  the  people,  finding  they  had  been  tricked,  said, 
as  people  generally  do  on  such  occasions,  "  If  we  had 
that  fellow  here,  would  n't  we  pay  him  up  for  this  ?  " 

The  Mischief  Maker  was  greatly  pleased  at  his  suc 
cess.  It  was  nearly  dark  when  he  stopped,  and  said, 
44 1  will  not  enter  the  next  village  to-night;  I.  will 
camp  here  in  the  woods."  So  he  had  piled  up  logs 
for  a  fire,  and  was  just  about  to  strike  a  light,  when 
he  saw  a  stranger  approaching.  "  Camp  with  me  here 
over  night,"  said  the  Mischief  Maker,  "  and  we  will 
go  to  the  village  in  the  morning." 

So  they  ate  and  smoked  their  pipes,  and  told  stories 
till  it  was  very  late.  But  the  stranger  did  not  seem 
to  tire  ;  nay,  he  even  proposed  to  tell  stories  all  night 
long.  The  Mischief  Maker  looked  at  him  aslant. 

"  My  friend,"  he  said,  "  can  you  tell  me  of  what 
wood  my  back-log  is  ?  " 

"  Hickory  ?  "  inquired  the  stranger. 


200  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

"  No,  not  hickory." 

"  Maple  ?  " 

"  No,  not  maple." 

"  White  oak  ?  " 

"  No,  not  white  oak." 

"  Black  walnut  ?  " 

"  No,  not  black  walnut." 

"  Moosewood?" 

"  No,  not  moosewood." 

"Ash?" 

"  No,  not  ash." 

"Pine?" 

"  No,  not  pine." 

"Cedar?" 

"  No,  not  cedar." 

"Birch?" 

The  stranger  began  to  yawn,  but  he  kept  on  guess 
ing.  Then  his  head  nodded.  By  the  time  he  had 
found  out  that  it  was  slippery  elm  he  was  sound 
asleep. 

"  This  fellow  deserves  punishment,"  remarked  the 
Mischief  Maker.  "He  is  an  enemy  to  mankind." 
Here  he  adroitly  put  some  sticky  clay  on  the  sleep 
er's  eyes,  and  departed.  When  the  stranger  awoke 
he  thought  himself  still  fast  asleep  in  darkness,  and 
then  that  he  was  blind. 

"  If  ever  I  meet  with  that  fellow  again,"  he  said, 
"I '11  punish  him!" 

The  Mischief  Maker  played  so  many  pranks  that 
all  the  tribes  sent  out  runners  to  catch  him.  He  heard 


THE  MERRY  TALES  OF  LOX.  201 

their  whoops  in  every  forest.  He  knew  that  he  was 
being  hunted  down.  He  hurried  on,  and  once  at 
iii»'lit  hid  in  a  cave  under  a  rock.  The  runners  did 

o 

not  quite  overtake  him,  but  they  saw  that  his  tracks 
were  fresh,  and  thought  they  might  catch  him  in  the 
morning.  In  the  morning  he  was  up  and  far  away 
long  before  they  awoke.  The  next  night  he  hid  again 
in  a  hollow  log.  In  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  of 
the  next  day  he  heard  the  whoops  of  the  pursuers 
very  near,  and  knew  that  they  were  gaining  fast  on 
him.  He  climbed  a  thickly  limbed  tree,  and  hid  in 
the  top.  Here  the  runners  lost  his  track,  because  he 
had  broken  the  weeds  and  bushes  down  beyond  the 
tree,  as  if  he  had  gone  further  on.  They  ran  for  a 
long  distance.  Then  they  returned,  and  camped  and 
built  a  fire  under  the  tree. 

The  smoke  crept  up  among  the  branches  and  curled 
above,  and  rose  in  a  straight  column  to  the  sky.  The 
fugitive  sailed  away  on  the  smoke,  going  up  and  up, 
—  past  beautiful  lakes  and  hunting-grounds  stocked 
with  deer,  large  fields  of  corn  and  beans,  tobacco  and 
squashes  ;  past  great  companies  of  handsome  Indians, 
whose  wigwams  were  hung  full  of  dried  venison  and 
bear's  meat.  And  so  he  went  on  and  up  to  the  wig 
wam  of  the  Great  Chief. 

Here  he  rested.  He  remained  for  a  hundred  moons 
observing  the  customs  of  the  people  and  learning 
their  language.  One  morning  the  Great  Chief  told 
him  that  he  must  return  to  his  own  people.  He  dis 
liked  to  do  this,  for  he  was  very  happy  in  the  new 


202  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

place.  The  Chief  said,  "  These  are  the  happy  hunt 
ing-grounds.  We  have  admitted  you  that  you  may 
know  how  and  what  to  teach  your  people,  that  they 
may  get  here.  Go,  and  if  you  do  what  I  tell  you,  you 
may  return  to  remain  forever.  You  have  not  been 
allowed  to  come  here  to  remain,  but  only  to  observe. 
When  you  come  again,  you  shall  join  us  in  all  things. 
You  shall  hunt  and  fish  then,  and  have  whatever  you 
wish.  But  return  now,  and  teach  what  you  have 
learned  here." 

A  cloud  of  smoke  in  the  form  of  a  great  eagle  came 
to  him,  and,  seated  on  its  back,  he  was  borne  down 
to  the  top  of  the  tree  from  which  he  had  risen.  He 
opened  his  eyes.  The  sun  was  shining.  His  pursuers 
had  gone  away.  He  descended  and  traveled  on.  His 
mind  was  filled  with  what  he  had  seen.  He  said,  "  I 
will  no  longer  play  tricks,  but  tell  the  people  about 
what  I  learned  in  the  happy  hunting-grounds." 

After  a  long  journey  he  drew  near  a  village.  He 
gave  the  common  signal.  Runners  came  to  meet  him. 
The  head  chief  and  all  the  people  came  to  hear.  He 
was  asked,  "  What  news  do  you  bring  us  ?  " 

He  said,  "I  that  was  the  Mischief  Maker  am  the 
Peace  Maker  now.  The  Great  Spirit  took  me  to  the 
happy  hunting-grounds,  and  I  am  sent  back  to  tell 
you  how  to  get  there."  Then  the  Peace  Maker  de 
scribed  all  he  had  seen.  The  people  built  a  great  fire 
and  danced  around  it,  and  shouted  as  they  had  never 
done  before.  Then  he  said,  "  This  is  the  message  I 
bring  you." 


THE  MERRY  TALES   OF  LOX.  203 

So  the  people  sat  in  a  great  circle  round  the  fire 
and  listened.  He  spoke  :  — 

"  The  Great  Spirit  is  unseen,  but  he  is  about  us. 
He  will  not  forsake  us.  He  rules  all  things  for  us. 
He  will  take  care  of  us.  He  told  me  that  we  should 
return  thanks  to  him,  for  he  changes  the  seasons,  and 
makes  corn  and  beans  and  squashes  grow  for  us.  He 
is  displeased  when  we  kill  our  brothers.  He  hopes 
that  we  will  not  forget  him.  He  will  never  die.  His 
name  is  Ha-wen-ni-yu^  —  the  Ruler.  He  bids  us 
keep  away  from  his  wicked  brother,  whose  name  is 
Ha-ne-go-ate-geh^  the  Evil-Minded.  He  is  very  bad. 
He  brings  pestilence  and  fevers,  and  lizards  and 
poisonous  weeds.  He  destroys  peace,  and  brings  war. 
Ha-wen-ni-yu  will  care  for  us  if  we  trust  in  him. 
Obey  his  words,  and  Ha-ne-go-ate-geh  will  never 
harm  us. 

"  The  Great  Spirit,  has  messengers,  who  aid  him  in 
his  work.  They  watch  over  the  people.  They  take 
care  of  the  mother  and  her  new-born  babe,  that  they 
receive  no  harm ;  they  watch  over  those  whom  the 
Evil-Minded  has  troubled  with  disease.  The  Evil- 
Minded  has  messengers  who  do  his  work.  They  scat 
ter  pestilence,  and  whisper  in  our  ears,  and  tell  us 
to  go  against  Ha-wen-ni-yu. 

"  The  Great  Spirit  has  messengers.  Heno  has  a 
pouch  filled  with  thunderbolts.  Heno  gathers  the 
clouds  and  sends  the  rain.  He  is  a  friend  to  the  corn 
and  beans  and  squashes.  He  also  punishes  witches 
and  evil  persons.  Pray  to  Heno  when  you  plant,  and 


204      THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

tliank  him  when  you  gather  your  crop.  Pray  also 
to  Ha-wen-ni-yu,  who  will  send  Heno  to  care  for  you. 
Let  Heno  be  called  Grandfather. 

"Ga-oh  is  the  Spirit  of  the  Winds.  He  moves  the 
winds,  but  he  is  chained  to  a  rock.  The  winds  trouble 
him,  and  he  tries  very  hard  to  get  free.  When  he 
struggles  the  winds  are  forced  away  from  him,  and 
they  blow  upon  the  earth.  Sometimes  he  suffers 
terrible  pain,  and  then  his  struggles  are  violent.  This 
makes  the  winds  wild,  and  they  do  damage  on  the 
earth.  Then  he  feels  better  and  goes  to  sleep,  and  the 
winds  become  quiet  also. 

"  There  is  a  spirit  for  the  corn,  another  for  beans, 
another  for  squashes.  They  are  sisters,  and  are  very 
kind  to  each  other.  They  dwell  together,  and  live  in 
the  fields.  They  shall  be  known  as  De-o-ha-ka,  —  the 
keepers  of  our  life. 

"  There  are  spirits  in  the  water,  in  fire,  in  all  the 
trees  and  berries,  in  herbs  and  in  tobacco,  in  the  grass. 
They  assist  the  Great  Spirit. 

"  Always  return  thanks  to  ffo-noh-che-noh-Jceh,  the 
Guardian  Spirits. 

"  Ha-ne-go-ate-geh  has  messengers.  These  are  the 
spirits  of  disease,  of  fever,  of  witches,  weeds,  and 
murder.  But  the  Great  Spirit  will  keep  them  away 
from  his  children. 

"  This  is  the  message  I  bring  from  the  happy  hunt 
ing-grounds.  Obey  these  words,  and  the  Great 
Spirit  will  give  you  a  place  there." 

So  Peace  Maker  taught  the  people.     They  threw 


THE  MERRY  TALES  OF  LOX.  205 

tobacco  on  the  fire,  according  to  his  instructions,  and 
on  the  column  of  its  smoke  he  was  borne  away  to  the 
happy  hunting-grounds.  And  the  people  danced  and 
sang  around  the  dying  embers  of  the  council  fire. 

This  is  probably  an  ancient  legend  with  a  modern 
moral.  The  idea  of  an  Indian  Tyl  Eulenspiegel 
going  about  the  country  making  mischief  recalls  a 
great  part  of  the  adventures  of  Hiawatha  or  Mano- 
bozho ;  in  fact,  it  could  not  fail  to  suggest  itself  to  a 
believer  in  Shamanism,  or  pow-wow,  according  to 
which  evil  spirits  and  men  like  them  are  continually 
teasing  mankind,  out  of  sheer  malice.  The  reform  of 
the  wicked  man,  under  the  influence  of  the  "Great 
Spirit,"  is  of  later  days.  I  do  not  believe  that  the 
idea  of  a  Great  Spirit,  in  the  sense  in  which  it  is 
generally  used  by  Indians,  or  is  attributed  to  them, 
was  ever  known  till  learned  from  the  whites.  Noth 
ing  is  more  natural  than  that  during  the  two  hundred 
years  past  intelligent  Indians,  who  felt  that  there  were 
many  evils  in  the  old  barbaric  state,  yet  who  were  still 
under  the  influence  of  its  myths  and  poetry,  should 
have  made  up  legends  like  this  purporting  to  be  revela 
tions.  There  is  one  of  the  kind  given  in  the  Hiawatha 
Legend,  as  "  Eroneniera,  an  Indian  visit  to  the  Great 
Spirit,"  which  bears  on  its  face  every  mark  of  modern 
manufacture  for  a  purpose.  For  these  very  reasons, 
however,  the  tale  here  given  is  of  great  interest  to  the 
impartial  historian.  I  am  indebted  for  it  to  the  kind 
ness  of  Colonel  T.  Wentworth  Higginson,  who  in 
forms  me  that  it  was  written  by  the  Rev.  J.  Went- 


206  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

worth  Sanborn    (alias  O  -  yo  -  gah  -  weh)   of    Batavia, 
N.  Y. 

In  the  first  part  we  have  in  the  Mischief  Maker 
the  same  character  or  principle  who  appears  as  Lox, 
the  Wolverine,  the  Kaccoon,  and  Badger  among  the 
Wabanaki.  The  setting  the  blind  women  together  by 
the  ears,  and  the  dashing  of  hot  pudding,  soup,  or  water 
in  their  faces,  is  another  form  of  a  Lox  story,  which 
occurs  again  in  the  Kalevala.  But  the  entire  spirit  of 
the  tricks  is  that  of  Lox,  as  those  of  Lox  are  like 
those  of  Loki.  The  Rev.  Moncure  D.  Conway  once 
said  to  me,  as  Miss  E.  Robins  has  also  said  in  an 
article  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly,  that  it  is  only  in  the 
Norse  mythology  that  the  Evil  One,  or  devil,  is  repre 
sented  as  growing  up  from  or  inspired  solely  by  reck 
less  wanton  mischief,  —  the  mischief  of  a  bad  boy  or 
a  monkey.  But  the  very  same  is  as  true  of  so  much 
of  a  devil  as  there  is  in  the  Wabanaki  mythology.  It 
is  as  a  grotesque  shadow  of  Loki,  but  still  it  is  his. 
The  Germans  say  the  devil  is  God's  ape  ;  the  Indian 
Lox  is  the  Norse  devil's. 

How  Lox  told  a  Lie. 

(Passamaquoddy.) 

Lox  had  a  brother,  who  had  married  a  red  squaw. 
When  she  was  touched  the  red  color  rubbed  off.  The 
brother  kept  this  wife  in  a  box. 

One  day,  returning,  the  brother  saw  that  Lox  had 
red  fingers.  "  Aha  !  "  he  cried,  in  a  rage,  "  you  have 
taken  my  wife  out  of  the  box."  But  Lox  denied  it, 
so  that  his  brother  believed  him. 


THE  MERRY  TALES   OF  LOX.  207 

The  next  time  the  husband  returned,  Lox's  fingers 
were  again  red.  And  again  he  was  accused,  and  once 
more  he  denied  it.  But  as  he  swore  with  all  his 
might  that  he  was  innocent,  something,  as  if  on  the 
floor,  laughed,  and  said,  "  You  lie.  I  was  with  you  ; 
I  helped  you." 

Lox  thought  it  was  his  right  foot.  So  he  cut  off  the 
toes,  and  then  the  foot,  but  the  accusation  continued. 
Thinking  it  was  the  other  foot,  he  cut  that  off ;  yet  as 
the  testimony  was  continued,  he  found  that  it  was  Ta- 
loosc,  even  he  himself,  the  bodily  offender  in  person, 
testifying  against  his  lying  soul.  So  in  a  rage  he 
struck  himself  such  a  blow  with  his  war-club  that  he 
fell  dead. 

I  cannot  give  in  full  all  the  adventures  of  Lox.  I 
may,  however,  observe  one  thing  of  great  importance. 
Lox,  in  these  tales,  is  the  Evil  Principle,  that  is,  a 
giant  by  birth.  His  two  feet  in  this  story  are  male 
and  female  ;  they  talk  as  if  they  were  human.  In  the 
Edda,  a  giant's  two  feet  beget  together  a  six-headed 
son  (Vafthrudnismal)  :  — 

"  Foot  with  foot  begot 

Of  that  wise  Jottm, 

A  six-headed  son." 

This  six-headed  son  reappears  as  a  demon  in  the 
Passamaquoddy  tale  of  the  Three  Strong  Men. 

Taloose,  literally  translated,  is  the  phallus.  The 
red  squaw  refers  to  the  Newfoundland  Indians,  cov 
ered  with  red  ochre.  They  are  believed  to  be  now 
extinct. 


THE  AMAZING  ADVENTURES  OF  MASTER 
RABBIT 

WITH  THE  OTTER,  THE  WOODPECKER   GIRLS,  AND   MOOIN 
THE  BEAR. 

ALSO   A   FULL   ACCOUNT   OF  THE   FAMOUS   CHASE,   IN   WHICH   HE 
FOOLED   LUSIFEE,    THE    WILD   CAT.1 

I.  How  Master  Rabbit  sought  to  rival  Keeoony,  the 
Otter. 

OF  old  times,  Mahtigwess,  the  Rabbit,  who  is 
called  in  the  Micmac  tongue  Ableegumooch,  lived 
with  his  grandmother,  waiting  for  better  times ;  and 
truly  he  found  it  a  hard  matter  in  midwinter,  when 
ice  was  on  the  river  and  snow  was  on  the  plain,  to 
provide  even  for  his  small  household.  And  running 
through  the  forest  one  day  he  found  a  lonely  wigwam, 
and  he  that  dwelt  therein  was  Keeoony,  the  Otter. 
The  lodge  was  on  the  bank  01  a  river,  and  a  smooth 
road  of  ice  slanted  from  the  door  down  to  the  water. 
And  the  Otter  made  him  welcome,  and  directed  his 
housekeeper  to  get  ready  to  cook;  saying  which,  he 
took  the  hooks  on  which  he  was  wont  to  string  fish 
when  he  had  them,  and  went  to  fetch  a  mess  for  din 
ner.  Placing  himself  on  the  top  of  the  slide,  he 
coasted  in  and  under  the  water,  and  then  came  out 

1  In  this  story  the  Wild  Cat  is  another  form  of  Lox,  the  master 
of  the  wolves. 


ADVENTURES  OF  MASTER  RABBIT.      209 

with  a  great  bunch  of  eels,  which  were  soon  cooked, 
and  on  which  they  dined. 

"  By  my  life,"  thought  Master  Rabbit,  "  but  that 
is  an  easy  way  of  getting  a  living !  Truly  these  fish 
ing-folk  have  fine  fare,  and  cheap !  Cannot  I,  who 
am  so  clever,  do  as  well  as  this  mere  Otter  ?  Of 
course  I  can.  Why  not  ?  "  Thereupon  he  grew  so 
confident  of  himself  as  to  invite  the  Otter  to  dine  with 
him  —  adamadusk  ketkewop  —  on  the  third  day  after 
that,  and  so  went  home. 

"  Come  on !  "  he  said  to  his  grandmother  the  next 
morning ;  "  let  us  remove  our  wigwam  down  to  the 
lake."  So  they  removed  ;  and  he  selected  a  site  such 
as  the  Otter  had  chosen  for  his  home,  and  the  weather 
being  cold  he  made  a  road  of  ice,  or  a  coast,  down 
from  his  door  to  the  water,  and  all  was  well.  Then 
the  guest  came  at  the  time  set,  and  Rabbit,  calling  his 
grandmother,  bade  her  get  ready  to  cook  a  dinner. 
"  But  what  am  I  to  cook,  grandson  ?  "  inquired  the 
old  dame. 

44  Truly  I  will  see  to  that,"  said  he,  and  made  him 
a  naboguri)  or  stick  to  string  eels.  Then  going  to  the 
ice  path,  he  tried  to  slide  like  one  skilled  in  the  art, 
but  indeed  with  little  luck,  for  he  went  first  to  the 
right  side,  then  to  the  left,  and  so  hitched  and  jumped 
till  he  came  to  the  water,  where  he  went  in  with  a 
bob  backwards.  And  this  bad  beginning  had  no  bet 
ter  ending,  since  of  all  swimmers  and  divers  the  Rab 
bit  is  the  very  worst,  and  this  one  was  no  better  than 
his  brothers.  The  water  was  cold,  he  lost  his  breath, 
he  struggled,  and  was  well-nigh  drowned. 
14 


210  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

"  But  what  on  earth  ails  the  fellow  ?  "  said  the  Ot 
ter  to  the  grandmother,  who  was  looking  on  in  amaze 
ment. 

"  Well,  he  has  seen  somebody  do  something,  and  is 
trying  to  do  likewise,"  replied  the  old  lady. 

"  Ho !  come  out  of  that  now,"  cried  the  Otter, 
"and  hand  me  your  ndbogun!  "  And  the  poor  Rab 
bit,  shivering  with  cold,  and  almost  frozen,  came  from 
the  water  and  limped  into  the  lodge.  And  there  he 
required  much  nursing  from  his  grandmother,  while 
the  Otter,  plunging  into  the  stream,  soon  returned 
with  a  load  of  fish.  But,  disgusted  at  the  Rabbit 
for  attempting  what  he  could  not  perform,  he  threw 
them  down  as  a  gift,  and  went  home  without  tasting 
the  meal. 

II.  How  Mahtigivess,  the  Babbit  dined  with  the  Wood 
pecker  Girls,  and  was  again  humbled  by  trying  to  rival 
them. 

Now  Master  Rabbit,  though  disappointed,  was  not 
discouraged,  for  this  one  virtue  he  had,  that  he  never 
gave  up.1  And  wandering  one  day  in  the  wilderness, 
he  found  a  wigwam  well  filled  with  young  women,  all 
wearing  red  head-dresses;  and  no  wonder,  for  they 
were  Woodpeckers.  Now,  Master  Rabbit  was  a  well- 
bred  Indian,  who  made  himself  as  a  melody  to  all 
voices,  and  so  he  was  cheerfully  bidden  to  bide  to  din 
ner,  which  he  did.  Then  one  of  the  red-polled  pretty 

1  It  will  be  seen  in  the  end  that  this  great  Indian  virtue  of 
never  giving  in  eventually  raised  Rabbit  to  power  and  prosper 
ity.  II  y  ade  morale  id. 


ADVENTURES   OF  MASTER  RABBIT.       211 

-  Is,  taking  a  woltes,  or  wooden  dish,  lightly  climbed 

tree,  so  that  she  seemed  to  run  ;  and  while  ascend- 
ig,  stopping  here  and  there  and  tapping  now  and 
then,  took  from  this  place  and  that  many  of  those  in 
sects  called  by  the  Indians  apcJiel-moal^timpTcawcil^  or 
rice,  because  they  so  much  resemble  it.  And  note 
that  this  rice  is  a  dainty  dish  for  those  who  like  it. 
And  when  it  was  boiled,  and  they  had  dined,  Master 
Rabbit  again  reflected,  "  La  !  how  easily  some  folks 
live  !  What  is  to  hinder  me  from  doing  the  same  ? 
Ho,  you  girls  !  come  over  arid  dine  with  me  the  day 
after  to-morrow ! " 

And  having  accepted  this  invitation,  all  the  guests 
came  011  the  day  set,  when  Master  Rabbit  undertook 
to  play  woodpecker.  So  having  taken  the  head  of  an 
eel-spear  and  fastened  it  to  his  nose  to  make  a  bill,  he 
climbed  as  well  as  he  could  —  and  bad  was  the  best — 
up  a  tree,  and  tried  to  get  his  harvest  of  rice.  Truly 
he  got  none  ;  only  in  this  did  he  succeed  in  resem 
bling  a  Woodpecker,  that  he  had  a  red  poll ;  for  his 
pate  was  all  torn  and  bleeding,  bruised  by  the  fishing- 
point.  And  the  pretty  birds  all  looked  and  laughed, 
and  wondered  what  the  Rabbit  was  about. 

"Ah !  "  said  his  grandmother,  "  I  suppose  he  is 
trying  again  to  do  something  which  he  has  seen  some 
one  do.  'T  is  just  like  him." 

"  Oh,  come  down  there !  "  cried  Miss  Woodpecker, 
as  well  as  she  could  for  laughing.  "Give  me  your 
dish !  "  And  having  got  it  she  scampered  up  the 
trunk,  and  soon  brought  down  a  dinner.  But  it  was 


212  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

long   ere   Master   Rabbit   heard  the  last  of  it  from 
these  gay  tree-tappers. 

///.  Of  the  Adventure  with  Mooin,  the  Bear ;  it  being 
the  Third  and  Last  Time  that  Master  Rabbit  made  a 
Fool  of  himself. 

Now,  truly,  one  would  think  that  after  all  that  had 
befallen  Master  Mahtigwess,  the  Rabbit,  that  he 
would  have  had  enough  of  trying  other  people's 
trades  ;  but  his  nature  was  such  that,  having  once 
set  his  mighty  mind  to  a  thing,  little  short  of  sudden 
death  would  cure  him.  And  being  one  day  with  the 
Bear  in  his  cave,  he  beheld  with  great  wonder  how 
Mooin  fed  his  folk.  For,  having  put  a  great  pot  on 
the  fire,  he  did  but  cut  a  little  slice  from  his  own  foot 
and  drop  it  into  the  boiling  water,  when  it  spread 
and  grew  into  a  mess  of  meat  which  served  for  all.1 
Nay,  there  was  a  great  piece  given  to  Rabbit  to  take 
home  to  feed  his  family. 

"  Now,  truly,"  he  said,  "  this  is  a  thing  which  I  can 
indeed  do.  Is  it  not  recorded  in  the  family  wampum 
that  whatever  a  Bear  can  do  well  a  Rabbit  can  do  bet 
ter  ? "  So,  in  fine,  he  invited  his  friend  to  come  and 
dine  with  him,  Ifetkewopk',  the  day  after  to-morrow. 

And  the  Bear  being  there,  Rabbit  did  but  say, 
"  Noogume*  ImesawaV  tvohu  !  "  "Grandmother,  set 
your  pot  to  boiling !  "  And,  whetting  his  knife  on  a 

1  Mr.  Rand  observes  that  this  is  evidently  an  allusion  to  the 
bear's  being  supposed  to  live  during  the  winter  by  sucking  his 
own  paws. 


ADVENTURES   OF  MASTER   RABBIT.      213 

stone,  he  tried  to  do  as  the  Bear  had  done ;  but  little 
did  he  get  from  his  small,  thin  soles,  though  he  cut 
himself  madly  and  sadly. 

"  What  can  he  be  trying  to  do  ? "  growled  the 
guest. 

"  Ah  !  "  sighed  the  grandmother,  "  something  which 
he  has  seen  some  one  else  do." 

"  Ho !  I  say  there !  Give  me  the  knife,"  quoth 
Bruin.  And,  getting  it,  he  took  a  slice  from  his  sole, 
which  did  him  no  harm,  and  then,  what  with  magic 
and  fire,  gave  them  a  good  dinner.  But  Master  Rab 
bit  was  in  sad  case,  and  it  was  many  a  day  ere  he 
got  well. 

IV.  Relating  how  the  Rabbit  became  Wise  by  being  Origi 
nal,  and  of  the  Terrible  Tricks  which  he  by  Magic  played 
Loup-Cervier,  the  Wicked  Wild  Cat. 

There  are  men  who  are  bad  at  copying,  yet  are  good 
originals,  and  of  this  kind  was  Master  Rabbit,  who, 
when  lie  gave  up  trying  to  do  as  others  did,  succeeded 
very  well.  And,  having  found  out  his  foible,  he  ap 
plied  himself  to  become  able  in  good  earnest,  and  stud 
ied  m'tSoulin,  or  magic,  so  severely  that  in  time  he 
grew  to  be  an  awful  conjurer,  so  that  he  could  raise 
ghosts,  crops,  storms,  or  devils  whenever  he  wanted 
them.1  For  he  had  perseverance,  and  out  of  this  may 

1  The  three  previous  chapters  of  the  Rabbit  legend  are  from 
the  Micmac.  The  rest  is  Passamaquoddy,  as  told  by  Tomah  Jo 
sephs,  who  in  his  narration  not  only  often  interpolated  jocose  re 
marks,  but  was  wont  to  ejaculate  "  By  Jolly  !  "  especially  in  the 
most  striking  scenes.  I  think  that  with  him  the  interjection  had 
become  refined  and  dignified. 


214  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

come  anything,  if  it  be  only  brought  into  the  right 
road. 

Now  it  came  to  pass  that  Master  Kabbit  got  into 
great  trouble.  The  records  of  the  Micmacs  say  that  it 
was  from  his  stealing  a  string  of  fish  from  the  Otter, 
who  pursued  him  ;  but  the  Passamaquoddies  declare 
that  he  was  innocent  of  this  evil  deed,  probably  be 
cause  they  make  great  account  of  him  as  their  ances 
tor  and  as  the  father  of  the  Wabanaki.  Howbeit, 
this  is  the  way  in  which  they  tell  the  tale. 

Now  the  Rabbit  is  the  natural  prey  of  the  Loup- 
Cervier,  or  Lusifee,  who  is  a  kind  of  wild  cat,  none 
being  more  obstinate.  And  this  Wild  Cat  once  went 
hunting  with  a  gang  of  wolves,  and  they  got  nothing. 
Then  Wild  Cat,  who  had  made  them  great  promises 
and  acted  as  chief,  became  angry,  and,  thinking  of  the 
Rabbit,  promised  them  that  this  time  they  should  in 
deed  get  their  dinner.  So  he  took  them  to  Rabbit's 
wigwam ;  but  he  was  out,  and  the  Wolves,  being  vexed 
and  starved,  reviled  Wild  Cat,  and  then  rushed  off 
howling  through  the  woods. 

Now  I  think  that  the  Rabbit  is  mteoulin.  Yes, 
he  must  be,  for  when  Wild  Cat  started  to  hunt  him 
alone,  he  determined  with  all  his  soul  not  to  be  caught, 
and  made  himself  as  magical  as  he  could.  So  he 
picked  up  a  handful  of  chips,  and  threw  one  as  far  as 
possible,  then  jumped  to  it, — for  he  had  a  charm  for 
a  long  jump  ;  and  then  threw  another,  and  so  on,  for  a 
great  distance.  This  was  to  make  no  tracks,  and  when 
he  thought  he  had  got  out  of  scent  and  sight  and 
sound  he  scampered  away  like  the  wind. 


THE    RABBIT    MAGIC'AN. 


ADVENTURES   OF  MASTER   RABBIT.       215 

Now,  as  I  said,  when  the  wolves  got  to  Master  Rab 
bit's  house  and  found  nothing,  they  smelt  about  and 
left  Wild  Cat,  who  swore  by  his  tail  that  he  would 
catch  Rabbit,  if  he  had  to  hunt  forever  and  run  him 
self  to  death.  So,  taking  the  house  for  a  centre,  he 
kept  going  round  and  round  it,  all  the  time  a  little 
further,  and  so  more  around  and  still  further.1  Then 
at  last  having  found  the  track,  he  went  in  hot  haste 
after  Mr.  Rabbit.  And  both  ran  hard,  till,  night 
coming  on,  Rabbit,  to  protect  himself,  had  only  just 
time  to  trample  down  the  snow  a  little,  and  stick  up 
a  spruce  twig  on  end  and  sit  on  it.  But  when  Wild 
Cat  came  up  he  found  there  a  fine  wigwam,  and  put 
his  head  in.  All  that  he  saw  was  an  old  man  of 
very  grave  and  dignified  appearance,  whose  hair  was 
gray,  and  whose  majestic  (sogmoye)  appearance  was 
heightened  by  a  pair  of  long  and  venerable  ears.  And 
of  him  Wild  Cat  asked  in  a  gasping  hurry  if  he  had 
seen  a  Rabbit  running  that  way. 

"  Rabbits !  "  replied  the  old  man.  "  Why,  of  course 
I  have  seen  many.  They  abound  in  the  woods  about 
here.  I  see  dozens  of  them  every  day."  With  this 
he  said  kindly  to  Wild  Cat  that  he  had  better  tarry 
with  him  for  a  time.  "  I  am  an  old  man,"  he  re 
marked  with  solemnity,  —  "  an  old  man,  living  alone, 

1  While  telling  this,  Toraah  described  a  spiral  line.  It  is  evi 
dent  that  if  the  volute  were  only  continued  long  enough  it  must 
inevitably  end  in  finding  any  trail,  if  the  point  of  departure  be 
only  known.  This  device  is  familiar  to  all  Indians,  and  it  is 
mentioned  in  other  stories. 


216  THE   ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

and  a  respectable  guest,  like  you,  sir,  comes  to  me  like 
a  blessing."  And  the  Cat,  greatly  impressed,  re 
mained.  After  a  good  supper  he  lay  down  by  the 
fire,  and,  having  run  all  day,  was  at  once  asleep,  and 
made  but  one  nap  of  it  till  morning.  But  how  aston 
ished,  and  oh,  how  miserable  he  was,  when  he  awoke, 
to  find  himself  on  the  open  heath  in  the  snow  and  al 
most  starved !  The  wind  blew  as  if  it  had  a  keen  will 
to  kill  him  ;  it  seemed  to  go  all  through  his  body. 
Then  he  saw  that  he  had  been  a  fool  and  cheated  by 
magic,  and  in  a  rage  swore  again  by  his  teeth,  as  well 
as  his  tail,  that  the  Rabbit  should  die.  There  was  no 
hut  now,  only  the  trampled  snow  and  a  spruce  twig, 
and  yet  out  of  this  little,  Rabbit  had  conjured  up  so 
great  a  delusion. 

Then  he  ran  again  all  day.  And  when  night  came, 
Master  Rabbit,  having  a  little  more  time  than  before, 
again  trampled  down  the  snow,  but  for  a  greater  space, 
and  strewed  many  branches  all  about,  for  now  a  huge 
effort  was  to  be  made.  And  when  Wild  Cat  got  there 
he  found  a  great  Indian  village,  with  crowds  of  people 
going  to  and  fro.  The  first  building  he  saw  was  a 
church,  in  which  service  was  being  held.  And  he,  en 
tering,  said  hastily  to  the  first  person  he  saw,  "  Ha ! 
ho  !  have  you  seen  a  Rabbit  running  by  here  ?  " 

"  Hush  —  sh,  sh  !  "  replied  the  man.  "  You  must 
wait  till  meeting  is  over  before  asking  such  ques 
tions."  1  Then  a  young  man  beckoned  to  him  to  come 

1  Though  this  story  is  very  old,  the  incident  of  the  church 
(sogmoye  wigwam,  or  chief  house)  is  manifestly  modern. 


ADVENTURES    OF  MASTER  RABBIT.      217 

in,  and  he  listened  till  the  end  to  a  long  sermon  on  the 
wickedness  of  being  vindictive  and  rapacious  ;  and  the 
preacher  was  a  gray  ancient,  and  his  ears  stood  np 
over  his  little  cap  like  the  two  handles  of  a  pitcher, 
yet  for  all  that  the  Wild  Cat's  heart  was  not  moved 
one  whit.  And  when  it  was  all  at  an  end  he  said  to 
the  obliging  young  man,  "  But  have  you  seen  a  Rab? 
bit  running  by  ?  " 

"  Rabbits !  Rab-bits  !  "  replied  the  young  man. 
"  Why,  there  are  hundreds  racing  about  in  the  cedar 
swamps  near  this  place,  and  you  can  have  as  many  as 
you  want."  "  Ah !  "  replied  Wild  Cat,  "  but  they  are 
not  what  I  seek.  Mine  is  an  entirely  different  kind." 
The  other  said  that  he  knew  of  no  sort  save  the  wild 
wood  -  rabbits,  but  that  perhaps  their  Governor,  or 
Chief,  who  was  very  wise,  could  tell  him  all  about  them. 
Then  the  Governor,  or  Sagamore,  came  up.  Like  the 
preacher,  he  was  very  remarkable  and  gray,  with  the 
long  locks  standing  up  one  on  either  side  of  his  head. 
And  he  invited  the  stranger  to  his  house,  where  his 
two  very  beautiful  daughters  cooked  him  a  fine  sup 
per.  And  when  he  wished  to  retire  they  brought  out 
blankets  and  a  beautiful  white  bear's  skin,  and  made 
up  a  bed  for  him  by  the  fire.  Truly,  his  eyes  were 
closed  as  soon  as  he  lay  down,  but  when  he  awoke 
there  had  been  a  great  change.  For  now  he  was  in  a 
wet  cedar  swamp,  the  wind  blowing  ten  times  worse 
than  ever,  and  his  supper  and  sleep  had  done  him  little 
good,  for  they  were  all  a  delusion.  All  around  him 
were  rabbits'  tracks  and  broken  twigs,  but  nothing 
more. 


218  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Yet  he  sprang  up,  more  enraged  than  ever,  and 
swearing  more  terribly  by  his  tail,  teeth,  and  claws 
that  he  would  be  revenged.  So  he  ran  on  all  day,  and 
at  night,  when  he  came  to  another  large  village,  he  was 
so  weary  that  he  could  just  gasp,  "  Have  —  you  — 
seen  a  Rab —  bit  run  this  way?"  With  much  con 
cern  and  kindness  they  all  asked  him  what  was  the 
matter.  So  he  told  them  all  this  story,  and  they 
pitied  him  very  much ;  yea,  one  gray  old  man,  —  and 
this  was  the  Chief,  —  with  two  beautiful  daughters, 
shed  tears  and  comforted  him,  and  advised  him  to 
stay  with  them.  So  they  took  him  to  a  large  hall, 
where  there  was  a  great  fire  burning  in  the  middle 
thereof.  And  over  it  hung  two  pots  with  soup  and 
meat,  and  two  Indians  stood  by  and  gave  food  to  all 
the  people.  And  he  had  his  share  with  the  rest,  and 
all  feasted  gayly. 

Now,  when  they  had  done  eating,  the  old  Governor, 
who  was  very  gray,  and  from  either  side  of  whose 
head  rose  two  very  venerable,  long  white  feathers,  rose 
to  welcome  the  stranger,  and  in  a  long  speech  said  it 
was,  indeed,  the  custom  of  their  village  to  entertain 
guests,  but  that  they  expected  from  them  a  song. 
Then  Wild  Cat,  who  was  vain  of  his  voice,  uplifted  it 
in  vengeance  against  the  Rabbits :  — 

"  Oh,  hew  I  hate  them  ! 
How  I  despise  them  ! 
How  I  laugh  at  them  ! 
May  I  scalp  them  all  !  " 

Then  he  said  that  he  thought  the  Governor  should 


ADVENTURES   OF  MASTER  RABBIT.      219 

sing.  And  to  this  the  Chief  consented,  but  declared 
that  all  who  were  present  should  bow  their  heads  while 
seated,  and  shut  their  eyes,  which  they  did.  Then 
Chief  Rabbit,  at  one  bound,  cleared  the  heads  of  his 
guests,  and  drawing  his  timlieyen,  or  tomahawk,  as  he 
jumped,  gave  Wild  Cat  a  wound  which  cut  deeply  into 
his  head,  and  only  fell  short  of  killing  him  by  entirely 
stunning  him.  When  he  recovered,  he  was  again  in 
snow,  slush,  and  filth,  more  starved  than  ever,  his  head 
bleeding  from  a  dreadful  blow,  and  he  himself  almost 
dead.  Yet,  with  all  that,  the  Indian  devil  was  stronger 
in  him  than  ever,  for  every  new  disgrace  did  but  bring 
more  resolve  to  be  revenged,  and  he  swore  it  by  his 
tail,  claws,  teeth,  and  eyes. 

So  he  tottered  along,  though  he  could  hardly  walk ; 
nor  could  he,  indeed,  go  very  far  that  day.  And  when 
almost  broken  down  with  pain  and  weariness,  he  came 
about  noon  to  two  good  wigwams.  Looking  into  one, 
he  saw  a  gray-haired  old  man,  and  in  the  other  a 
young  girl,  apparently  his  daughter.  And  they  re 
ceived  him  kindly,  and  listened  to  his  story,  saying 
it  was  very  sad,  the  old  man  declaring  that  he  must 
really  remain  there,  and  that  he  would  get  him  a  doc 
tor,  since,  unless  he  were  well  cared  for  at  once,  he 
would  die.  Then  he  went  forth  as  if  in  great  con 
cern,  leaving  his  daughter  to  nurse  the  weary,  wounded 
stranger. 

Now,  when  the  Doctor  came,  he,  too,  was  an  old 
gray  man,  with  a  scalp-lock  strangely  divided  like  two 
horns.  But  the  Wild  Cat  had  become  a  little  suspi- 


220  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

cious,  having  been  so  often  deceived,  for  much  abuse 
will  cease  to  amuse  even  the  most  innocent ;  and  truly 
he  was  none  of  these.  And,  looking  grimly  at  the  Doc 
tor,1  he  said :  "  I  was  asking  if  any  Kabbits  are  here, 
and  truly  you  look  very  much  like  one  yourself.  How 
did  you  get  that  split  nose?  "  "  Oh,  that  is  very  sim 
ple,"  replied  the  old  man.  "  Once  I  was  hammering 
wampum  beads,  and  the  stone  on  which  I  beat  them 
broke  in  halves,  and  one  piece  flew  up,  and,  as  you  see, 
split  my  nose."  "  But,"  persisted  the  Wild  Cat,  "why 
are  the  soles  of  your  feet  so  yellow,  even  like  a  Rab 
bit's?"  "Ah,  that  is  because  I  have  been  preparing 
some  tobacco,  and  I  had  to  hold  it  down  with  my 
feet,  for,  truly,  I  nedeed  both  my  hands  to  work  with. 
So  the  tobacco  stained  them  yellow."  Then  the  Wild 
Cat  suspected  no  more,  and  the  Doctor  put  salve  on 
his  wound,  so  that  he  felt  much  better,  and,  ere  he  de 
parted,  put  by  him  a  platter  of  very  delicate  little 
round  biscuits,  or  rolls,  and  a  beautiful  pitcher  full 
of  nice  wine,  and  bade  him  refresh  himself  from 
these  during  the  night,  and  so,  stealing  away  softly, 
he  departed. 

But  oh,  the  wretchedness  of  the  awaking  in  the 
morning !  For  then  Wild  Cat  found  himself  indeed 
in  the  extreme  of  misery.  His  head  was  swollen  and 
aching  to  an  incredible  degree,  and  the  horrible  wound, 
which  was  gaping  wide,  had  been  stuffed  with  hem- 

1  This  cross-examination  of  the  Doctor  is  taken  from  an  Abe 
naki  version,  narrated  by  a  St.  Francis  Indian  to  Miss  Alger. 
This  Indian  is  the  well-known  Josep  Cappino. 


ADVENTURES  OF  MASTER  RABBIT.       221 

lock  needles  and  pine  splinters,  and  this  was  the  cool 
salve  which  the  Doctor  had  applied.  And  as  a  last 
touch  to  his  rage  and  shame,  thinking  in  his  deadly 
thirst  of  the  wine,  he  beheld  011  the  ground,  still  left 
in  the  snow,  a  last  summer's  pitcher-plant,  half  full 
of  what  might  indeed  pass  for  wine  by  the  mere  sight 
thereof,  though  hardly  to  the  taste.  While  seeking  for 
the  biscuits  on  a  platter,  he  found  only  certain  small 
pellets,  such  as  abound  about  a  rabbit  warren.  And 
then  he  swore  by  all  his  body  and  soul  that  he  would 
slay  the  next  being  he  met,  Rabbit  or  Indian.  Verily 
this  time  he  would  be  utterly  revenged. 

Now  Mahtigwess,  the  Rabbit,  had  almost  come  to  an 
end  of  his  rrfteoulin,  or  wizard  power,  for  that  time, 
yet  he  had  still  enough  left  for  one  more  great  effort. 
And,  coming  to  a  lake,  he  picked  up  a  very  large  chip, 
and  having  seamed  it  with  sorcery  and  magnified  it 
by  magic  threw  it  into  the  water,  where  it  at  once 
seemed  to  be  a  great  ship,  such  as  white  men  build. 
And  when  the  Wild  Cat  came  up  he  saw  it,  with 
sails  spread  and  flags  flying,  and  the  captain  stood  so 
stately  on  the  deck,  with  folded  arms,  and  he  was  a 
fine,  gray-haired,  dignified  man,  with  a  cocked  hat,  the 
two  points  of  which  were  like  grand  and  stately  horns. 
But  the  Wild  Cat  had  sworn,  and  he  was  mindful  of 
his  great  oath ;  so  he  cried,  "  You  cannot  escape  me 
this  time,  Rabbit !  I  have  you  now !  "  Saying  this  he 
plunged  in,  and  tried  to  swim  to  the  ship.  And  the 
captain,  seeing  a  Wild  Cat  in  the  water,  being  en 
gaged  in  musket  drill,  ordered  his  men  to  fire  at  it, 


222       THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

which  they  did  with  a  bang !  Now  this  was  caused  by 
a  party  of  night-hawks  overhead,  who  swooped  down 
with  a  sudden  cry  like  a  shot ;  at  least  it  seemed  so  to 
Wild  Cat,  who,  deceived  and  appalled  by  this  volley, 
deeming  that  he  had  verily  made  a  mistake  this  time, 
turned  tail  and  swam  ashore  into  the  dark  old  for 
est,  where,  if  he  is  not  dead,  he  is  running  still.1 

1  This  expression,  very  common  among  the  Indians,  appears  to 
have  been  taken  from  the  Canadians.  II  court  encore  ends  many 
of  their  stories.  This  was  related  to  me  by  Tomah  Josephs, 
September  2,  1882.  I  have  four  versions  of  it.  In  one,  the 
Chippewa,  given  by  Schoolcraft,  the  wretched  efforts  to  rival 
the  woodpeckers  and  bear  are  attributed  to  a  no  less  personage 
than  Hiawatha,  or  Manobozho,  himself,  when  under  a  cloud. 
But  Hiawatha  as  a  poem  deals  only  with  the  better  part  of  the 
hero's  character.  In  the  Rand  manuscript,  the  most  amusing 
portion  of  tho  adventures  of  the  Rabbit,  or  those  with  the  Wild 
Cat,  are  much  abbreviated.  Tomah's  tale  supplies  this  missing 
portion,  but  consists  of  nothing  else.  The  Abenaki  tale  is 
slightly  different  in  its  beginning  :  "  Rabbit  was  making  maple- 
sugar  in  the  woods,  but  he  was  very  pious,  and  rested  on  the 
Sabbath.  While  praying  on  this  day  by  his  hearth,  there  came  a 
great  black  fierce  man,  who  glared  at  him,  but  Mahtigwess 
kept  siiyiug  '  Peace  !  peace  !  peace  ! '  for  that  is  the  way  the 
Rabbit  prays.  Then  the  stranger  was  angry  because  he  would 
not  cease  praying  and  talk  to  him,  but  the  Rabbit  said,  '  Would 
you  have  me  break  the  Sabbath  ? '  Then  he  went  and  brought 
the  stranger,  who  was  a  Wild  Cat,  refreshments."  These  refresh 
ments  were  the  same  as  those  given  by  the  Doctor.  Here  the 
chase  begins. 

There  is  probably  much  more  of  this  story. 


ADVENTURES   OF  MASTER   RABBIT.       223 

V.     How  Master  Rabbit  went  to  a  Wedding  o,nd  won  the 

Bride. 
(Passamaquoddy.) 

Chee  malitigwess,  or  the  Great  Rabbit,  was  once 
very  stout  or  large  of  body,  having  a  very  long  tail. 
And  one  day  in  the  old  times,  as  he  sat  on  the  rock, 
with  his  fine  long  tail  trailing  afar  into  the  bushes,  an 
old  man  came  by  who  asked  the  way.  And  Master 
Rabbit,  being  as  usual  obliging,  offered  to  show  it  to 
him.  So  they  talked  together  and  grew  intimate,  but 
as  the  old  man  went  very  slowly,  while  Rabbit  was 
always  running,  he  said,  "  Go  on  before,  and  I  will 
follow."  So  the  guide  was  soon  out  of  sight,  and  then 
the  old  man,  hurrying  without  heeding,  fell  down  into 
a  deep  pit  or  chasm,  where  he  cried  out  aloud  for  help, 
but  was  not  heard.  After  a  time,  Rabbit,  missing  his 
follower,  turned  back  and  tracked  him  till  he  found 
the  pit.  Yet  they  could  not  between  them  manage  to 
bring  the  traveler  up  again,  until  Rabbit  said,  "  Catch 
hold  of  my  tail ; "  and  when  this  was  done  he  gave  a 
jump,  but  alas  !  the  fine  tail  broke  off  short  within  an 
inch  of  the  root. 

One  would  think  that  by  this  time  Master  Rabbit 
must  have  had  enough  of  helping,  but  all  the  stories 
of  him  show  that  he  never  gave  up  anything  which 
he  had  once  begun.  So  he  simply  said  to  the  old 
man,  "  Catch  hold  of  me  round  the  waist ; "  and 
when  this  was  done  he  gave  another  leap,  and  brought 
the  prisoner  out.  But  the  man,  being  heavy,  had 


224  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

slipped  down,  and  almost  broken  Rabbit's  back.  So 
it  came  to  pass  tiiat  since  that  day  Master  Rabbit  has 
had  a  very  short  tail  and  a  slender  waist. 

The  old  man  was  on  his  way  to  marry  a  young 
girl.  But  she  was  in  love  with  Mikumwess,  the  forest 
fairy.  However,  the  old  man  married  her,  and  invited 
Master  Rabbit  to  the  dance,  which  in  old  times  made 
the  ceremony.  And  the  guest  dressed  for  the  occasion 
by  putting  ear-rings  on  his  heels  — for  Rabbits  or  Hares 
dance  on  their  tip-toes  —  and  a  beautiful  bangle  round 
his  neck,  and  he  danced  opposite  the  bride.  Now  the 
bride  had  on  only  a  very  short  skirt,  and  in  crossing  a 
brook  it  had  got  wet.  So  that  as  she  danced,  it  began 
to  shrink  and  shrink,  until  Master  Rabbit,  pitying  the 
poor  girl,  ran  out  and  got  a  deer-skin,  and  hastily 
twisted  a  cord  to  tie  it  with.  But  it  seemed  as  if 
Master  Rabbit's  efforts  to  oblige  people  always  got 
him  into  trouble,  for  he  twisted  this  string  so  rapidty 
and  earnestly,  holding  one  end  of  it  in  his  teeth  as 
he  did  so,  that  he  cut  his  upper  lip  through  to  the 
nose,  for  which  reason  his  descendants  all  have  hare 
lips  to  this  day. 

Now  having  dressed  the  bride,  she  was  so  grateful  to 
Rabbit  that  she  danced  with  him  all  the  night.  The 
old  man,  seeing  this,  was  so  angry  at  her  fickleness 
that,  without  saying  a  word,  he  walked  away,  and  left 
her  to  Mahtigwess,  with  whom  she  lived  very  happily 
until  she  ran  away  with  Mikumwess  ;  with  whom,  if 
she  has  not  run  away  again,  she  is  living  yet.  This 
story  is  at  an  end. 


ADVENTURES   OF  MASTER   RABBIT.       225 

VI.     How  Master  Rabbit  gave  himself  Airs. 
(Micmac.) 

It  happened  once  that  Lox  was  living  in  great  lux 
ury.  He  had  a  wigwam  full  of  hundreds  of  dried  sea- 
ducks,  moose  meat,  maple-sugar,  and  corn.  He  gave 
a  dinner,  and  among  the  guests  invited  Marten  and 
Mahtigwess,  the  Rabbit. 

Now  it  is  a  great  weakness  of  Master  Rabbit  that 
he  is  much  given  to  hinting  at  one  minute,  and  saying 
pretty  plainly  the  next,  that  he  has  been  in  better  so 
ciety  than  that  around  him,  and  has  lived  among 
great  people,  and  no  one  was  quicker  than  the  Marten 
to  find  out  that  wherein  any  one  was  foolish  or  feeble. 
So  when  Master  Rabbit,  smoothing  down  his  white 
fur,  said  it  was  the  only  kind  of  a  coat  worn  by  the 
aristocracy,  Marten  humbly  inquired,  "  if  that  were 
so,  how  he  came  by  it." 

"  It  shows,"  replied  Master  Rabbit,  "  that  I  have 
habitually  kept  company  with  gentlemen." 

"  How  did  you  get  that  slit  in  your  lip  ?  "  inquired 
Marten,  who  knew  very  well  what  this  Indian  really 
was. 

"  Ah !  "  replied  the  Rabbit,  "  where  /  live  they 
use  knives  and  forks.  And  one  day,  while  eating  with 
some  great  sagamores,  my  knife  slipped,  and  I  cut  my 

HP.- 

"And  why  are  your  mouth  and  whiskers  always 
going  when  you  are  still  ?  Is  that  high  style  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;    I  am  meditating,  planning,  combining  £reat 

15 


226      THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

affairs ;  talking  to  myself,  you  see.  That 's  the  way 
we  do." 

"  But  why  do  you  always  hop  ?  Why  don't  you 
sometimes  walk,  like  other  people  ?  " 

"  Ah,  that  's  our  style.  We  gentlemen  don't  run, 
like  the  vulgar.  We  have  a  gait  of  our  own,  don't 
you  know  ?  " 

"  Indeed !  Well,  if  you  don't  mind  a  question,  I 
would  like  to  know  why  you  always  scamper  away  so 
suddenly,  and  jump  so  far  and  so  rapidly  when  you 
run." 

"  Aw !  don't  you  know  ?  I  used  to  be  employed 
in  very  genteel  business ;  public  service,  —  in  fact, 
diplomatic.  I  carried  dispatches  (weegadigunn,  Mic- 
mac ;  wighiggin,  Pass.)  —  books,  letters,  papers,  and 
so  I  got  in  the  way  of  moving  nimbly.  Now  it 
comes  naturally  to  me.  One  of  my  old  aristocratic 
habits."1 

Upon  this  Marten  gave  it  up.  He  had  seen  some 
thing  of  good  society  himself,  as  he  lived  habitually 
with  Glooskap,  but  Master  Rabbit  was  too  much  for 
him. 

1  This  droll  dialogue  occurs  in  the  middle  of  the  Micmac  story 
of  Lox,  or  Badger,  and  the  Ducks  and  Bear,  where  it  evidently 
does  not  belong,  or  has  been  interpolated  to  make  length.  In  the 
original,  Marten  carries  his  inquiries  much  further  into  certain 
physiological  details,  all  of  which  Master  Rabbit  naively  explains 
as  the  result  of  the  delicate  diet  and  the  wine  to  which  he  as  a 
gentleman  had  been  accustomed. 


ADVENTURES   OF  MASTER  RABBIT.      227 

VII.    The  Young  Man  who  was  Saved  by  a  Rabbit  and  a 

Fox. 
(Passamaquoddy.) 

There  dwelt  a  couple  in  the  woods,  far  away  from 
other  people,  —  a  man  and  his  wife.  They  had  one 
boy,  who  grew  up  strong  and  clever.  One  day  he 
said,  "  Father  and  mother,  let  me  go  and  see  other 
men  and  women."  They  grieved,  but  let  him  go. 

He  went  afar.  All  night  he  lay  on  the  ground.  In 
the  morning  he  heard  something  coming.  He  rose 
and  saw  it  was  a  Rabbit,  who  said,  "  Ha,  friend,  where 
go  you  ? "  The  boy  answered,  "  To  find  people." 
"That  is  what  I  want,"  replied  the  Rabbit.  "Let 
us  go  together." 

So  they  went  on  for  a  long  time,  till  they  heard 
voices  far  off,  and  walking  quietly  came  to  a  village. 
"  Now,"  said  the  Rabbit,  "  steal  up  unseen,  and  listen 
to  them  !  "  The  boy  did  so,  and  heard  the  people 
saying  that  a  kewahqu\  a  cannibal  monster,  was  to 
come  the  next  day  to  devour  the  daughter  of  their 
sagamore.  And  having  returned  and  reported  this 
to  the  Rabbit,  the  latter  said  to  the  boy,  "  Have  no 
fear  ;  go  to  the  people  and  tell  them  that  you  can  save 
her."  He  did  so,  but  it  was  long  before  they  would 
listen  to  him.  Yet  at  last  it  came  to  the  ears  of  the 
old  chief  that  a  strange  young  man  insisted  that  he 
could  save  the  girl ;  so  the  chief  sent  for  him,  and 
said,  "They  tell  me  that  you  think  you  can  deliver  my 
daughter  from  death.  Do  so,  and  she  shall  be  yours." 


228  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Then  he  returned  to  the  Rabbit,  who  said,  "  They 
did  not  send  the  girl  far  away  because  they  know  that 
the  demon  can  follow  any  track.  But  I  hope  to  make 
a  track  which  he  cannot  follow.  Now  do  you,  as  soon 
as  it  shall  be  dark,  bring  her  to  this  place."  The 
young  man  did  so,  and  the  Rabbit  was  there  with  a 
sled,  and  in  his  hand  he  had  two  squirrels.  These 
he  smoothed  down,  and  as  he  did  so  they  grew  to  be 
as  large  as  the  largest  sled-dogs.  Then  all  three 
went  headlong,  like  the  wind,  till  they  came  to  an 
other  village. 

The  Rabbit  looked  about  till  he  found  a  certain 
wigwam,  and  then  peered  through  a  crevice  into  it. 
"  This  is  the  place,"  he  said.  "  Enter."  They  did 
so ;  then  the  Rabbit  ran  away.  They  found  in  the 
cabin  an  old  woman,  who  was  very  kind,  but  who,  on 
seeing  them,  burst  into  tears.  "  Ah,  my  dear  grand 
children,"  1  she  cried,  "  your  death  is  following  you 
rapidly,  for  the  kewahqu'  is  on  your  track,  and  will 
soon  be  here.  But  run  down  to  the  river,  where  you 
will  find  your  grandfather  camping." 

They  went,  and  were  joined  by  the  Rabbit,  who 
had  spent  the  time  in  making  many  divergent  tracks 
in  the  ground.  The  kewahqu'  came.  The  tracks 
delayed  him  a  long  time,  but  at  last  he  found  the 
right  one.  Meanwhile  the  young  couple  went  on,  and 
found  an  old  man  by  the  river.  He  said,  "  Truly 

1  The  terms  grandchildren,  grandmother,  etc.,  do  not  here 
signify  actual  relationship,  but  only  friendship  between  elderly 
and  young  people. 


ADVENTURES   OF  MASTER   RABBIT.      229 

you  are  in  great  danger,  for  the  kewahqu'  is  coming. 
But  I  will  help  you."  Saying  this,  he  threw  himself 
into  the  water,  where  he  floated  with  outstretched 
limbs,  and  said,  "  Now,  my  children,  get  on  me."  The 
girl  feared  lest  she  should  fall  off,  but  being  reas 
sured  mounted,  when  he  turned  into  a  canoe,  which 
carried  them  safely  across.  But  when  they  turned  to 
look  at  him,  lo !  he  was  no  longer  a  canoe,  but  an  old 
Duck.  "  Now,  my  dear  children,"  he  said,  u  hasten 
to  the  top  of  yonder  old  mountain,  high  among  the 
gray  rocks.  There  you  will  find  your  friend."  They 
fled  to  the  old  gray  mountain.  The  kewahqu'  came 
raging  and  roaring  in  a  fury,  but  however  he  pur 
sued  they  were  at  the  foot  of  the  precipice  before 
him. 

There  stood  the  Rabbit.  He  was  holding  up  a  very 
long  pole ;  no  pine  was  ever  longer.  "  Climb  this," 
he  said.  And,  as  they  climbed,  it  lengthened,  till  they 
left  it  for  the  hill,  and  then  scrambled  up  the  rocks. 
Then  the  kewahqu'  came  yelling  and  howling  horri 
bly.  Seeing  the  fugitives  far  above,  he  swarmed  up 
the  pole.  With  him,  too,  it  grew,  and  grew  rapidly, 
till  it  seemed  to  be  half  a  mile  high.  Now  the  ke 
wahqu'  was  no  such  sorcerer  that  he  could  fly ;  neither 
had  he  wings  ;  he  must  remain  on  the  pole ;  and  when 
he  came  to  the  top  the  young  man  pushed  it  afar. 
It  fell,  and  the  monster  was  killed  by  the  fall  thereof. 

They  went  with  the  squirrel  -  sledge ;  they  flew 
through  the  woods  on  the  snow  by  the  moonlight; 
they  were  very  glad.  And  at  last  they  came  to  the 


230  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

girl's  village,  when  the  Rabbit  said,  "  Now,  friend, 
good-by.  Yet  there  is  more  trouble  coming,  and  when 
it  is  with  you  I  and  mine  will  aid  you.  So  farewell." 
And  when  they  were  home  again  it  all  appeared  like 
a  dream.  Then  the  wedding  feast  was  held,  and  all 
seemed  well. 

But  the  young  men  of  the  village  hated  the  youth, 
and  desired  to  kill  him,  that  they  might  take  his  wife. 
They  persuaded  him  to  go  with  them  fishing  on  the 
sea.  Then  they  raised  a  cry,  and  said,  "  A  whale  is 
chasing  us !  he  is  under  the  canoe  !  "  and  suddenly 
they  knocked  him  overboard,  and  paddled  away  like 
an  arrow  in  flight. 

The  young  man  called  for  help.  A  Crow  came,  and 
said,  "  Swim  or  float  as  long  as  you  can.  I  will  bring 
you  aid."  He  floated  a  long  time.  The  Crow  re 
turned  with  a  strong  cord;  the  Crow  made  himself 
very  large ;  he  threw  one  end  of  the  cord  to  the  youth ; 
by  the  other  he  towed  him  to  a  small  island.  "  I  can 
do  no  more,"  he  said ;  "  but  there  is  another  friend." 
So  as  the  youth  sat  there,  starving  and  freezing,  there 
came  to  him  a  Fox.  "  Ha,  friend,"  he  said,  "  are  you 
here  ? "  "  Yes,"  replied  the  youth,  "  and  dying  of 
hunger."  The  Fox  reflected  an  instant,  and  said, 
"  Truly  I  have  no  meat ;  and  yet  there  is  a  way." 
So  he  picked  from  the  ground  a  blade  of  dry  grass, 
and  bade  the  youth  eat  it.  He  did  so,  and  found 
himself  a  moose  (or  a  horse).  Then  he  fed  richly 
on  the  young  grass  till  he  had  enough,  when  the  Fox 
gave  him  a  second  straw,  and  he  became  a  man 


ADVENTURES   OF  MASTER  RABBIT.      231 

again.  "  Friend,"  said  the  Fox,  "  there  is  an  Indian 
village  on  the  main-land,  where  there  is  to  be  a  great 
feast,  a  grand  dance.  Would  you  like  to  be  there  ?  " 
"  Indeed  I  would,"  replied  the  youth.  "  Then  wait  till 
dark,  and  I  will  take  you  there,"  said  the  Fox.  And 
when  night  came  he  bade  the  youth  close  his  eyes  and 
enter  the  river,  and  take  hold  of  the  end  of  his  tail, 
while  he  should  draw.  So  in  the  tossing  sea  they 
went  on  for  hours.  Thought  the  youth,  "  We  shall 
never  get  there."  Said  the  Fox,  "  Yes,  we  will,  but 
keep  your  eyes  shut."  So  it  went  on  for  another 
hour,  when  the  youth  thought  again,  "  We  shall  never 
reach  land."  Said  the  Fox,  "  Yes,  we  shall."  How 
ever,  after  a  time  he  opened  his  eyes,  when  they  were 
only  ten  feet  from  the  shore,  and  this  cost  them  more 
time  and  trouble  than  all  the  previous  swim  ere  they 
had  the  beach  under  foot. 

It  was  his  own  village.  The  festival  was  for  the 
marriage  of  his  own  wife  to  one  of  the  young  men 
who  had  pushed  him  overboard.  Great  was  his  magic 
power,  great  was  his  anger ;  he  became  strong  as 
death.  Then  he  went  to  his  own  wigwam,  and  his 
wife,  seeing  him,  cried  aloud  for  joy,  and  kissed  him 
and  wept  all  at  once.  He  said,  "  Be  glad,  but  the 
hour  of  punishment  for  the  men  who  made  these 
tears  is  come."  So  he  went  to  the  sagamore  and 
told  him  all. 

The  old  chief  called  for  the  young  men.  "  Slay 
them  all  as  you  choose,"  he  said  to  his  son-in-law; 
"  scalp  them."  But  the  youth  refused.  He  called 


232  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

to  the  Fox,  and  got  the  straws  which  gave  the  power 
to  transform  men  to  beasts.  He  changed  his  enemies 
into  bad  animals,  —  one  into  a  porcupine,  one  into 
a  hog,  —  and  they  were  driven  into  the  woods.  Thus 
it  was  that  the  first  hog  and  the  first  porcupine  came 
into  the  world. 

This  story,  narrated  by  Tomah  Josephs,  is  partly 
old  Indian  and  partly  European,  but  whether  the  lat 
ter  element  was  derived  from  a  French  Canadian  or 
a  Norse  source  I  cannot  tell,  since  it  is  common  to 
both.  The  mention  of  the  horse  and  the  hog.  or  of 
cattle,  does  not  prove  that  a  story  is  not  pre-Colum 
bian.  The  Norsemen  had  brought  cattle  of  various 
descriptions  even  to  New  England.  It  is  to  be  very 
much  regretted  that  the  first  settlers  in  New  England 
took  no  pains  to  ascertain  what  the  Indians  knew  of 
the  white  men  who  had  preceded  them.  But  modern 
material  may  have  easily  been  added  to  an  old  le 
gend. 


THE   CHENOO   LEGENDS. 

/.     The  Chenoo,  or  the  Story  of  a  Cannibal  with  an  Icy 

Heart. 
(Micmac  and  Passamaquoddy.) 

OF  the  old  time.  An  Indian,  with  his  wife  and 
their  little  boy,  went  one  autumn  far  away  to  hunt  in 
the  northwest.  And  having  found  a  fit  place  to  pass 
the  winter,  they  built  a  wigwam.  The  man  brought 
home  the  game,  the  woman  dressed  and  dried  the 
meat,  the  small  boy  played  about  shooting  birds  with 
bow  and  arrow  ;  in  Indian-wise  all  went  well. 

One  afternoon,  when  the  man  was  away  and  the 
wife  gathering  wood,  she  heard  a  rustling  in  the 
bushes,  as  though  some  beast  were  brushing  through 
them,  and,  looking  up,  she  saw  with  horror  something 
worse  than  the  worst  she  had  feared.  It  was  an  awful 
face  glaring  at  her,  —  a  something  made  of  devil,  man, 
and  beast  in  their  most  dreadful  forms.  It  was  like 
a  haggard  old  man,  with  wolfish  eyes  ;  he  was  stark 
naked ;  his  shoulders  and  lips  were  gnawed  away,  as 
if,  when  mad  with  hunger,  he  had  eaten  his  own  flesh. 
He  carried  a  bundle  on  his  back.  The  woman  had 
heard  of  the  terrible  Chenoo,  the  being  who  comes 
from  the  far,  icy  north,  a  creature  who  is  a  man 
grown  to  be  both  devil  and  cannibal,  and  saw  at  once 
that  this  was  one  of  them. 


234  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Truly  she  was  in  trouble ;  but  dire  need  gives  quick 
wit,  as  it  was  with  this  woman,  who,  instead  of  show 
ing  fear,  ran  up  and  addressed  him  with  fair  words, 
as  "My  dear  father,"  pretending  surprise  and  joy, 
and,  telling  him  how  glad  her  heart  was,  asked  where 
he  had  been  so  long.  The  Chenoo  was  amazed  be 
yond  measure  at  such  a  greeting  where  he  expected 
yells  and  prayers,  and  in  mute  wonder  let  himself  be 
led  into  the  wigwam. 

She  was  a  wise  and  good  woman.  She  took  him 
in  ;  she  said  she  was  sorry  to  see  him  so  woe-begone  ; 
she  pitied  his  sad  state;  she  brought  a  suit  of  her 
husband's  clothes ;  she  told  him  to  dress  himself  and 
be  cleaned.  He  did  as  she  bade.  He  sat  by  the  side 
of  the  wigwam,  and  looked  surly  and  sad,  but  kept 
quiet.  It  was  all  a  new  thing  to  him. 

She  arose  and  went  out.  She  kept  gathering  sticks. 
The  Chenoo  rose  and  followed  her.  She  was  in  great 
fear.  "  Now,"  she  thought,  "  my  death  is  near  ;  now 
he  will  kill  and  devour  me." 

The  Chenoo  came  to  her.  He  said,  "  Give  me  the 
axe !  "  She  gave  it,  and  he  began  to  cut  down  the 
trees.  Man  never  saw  such  chopping !  The  great 
pines  fell  right  and  left,  like  summer  saplings  ;  the 
boughs  were  hewed  and  split  as  if  by  a  tempest. 
She  cried  out,  "  jVbo,  tabeagul  "boohsoogul !  "  "My 
father,  there  is  enough  ! "  *  He  laid  down  the  axe  ; 
he  walked  into  the  wigwam  and  sat  down,  always  in 

1  The  tremendous  pine  chopper  is  a  character  in  another  In 
dian  tale. 


THE   CHENOO  LEGENDS.  235 

grim  silence.  The  woman  gathered  her  wood,  and 
remained  as  silent  on  the  opposite  side. 

She  heard  her  husband  coming.  She  ran  out  and 
told  him  all.  She  asked  him  to  do  as  she  was  doing. 
He  thought  it  well.  He  went  in  and  spoke  kindly. 
He  said,  "^Y'cMcA,"  "  My  father-in-law,"  and  asked 
where  he  had  been  so  long.  The  Cheiioo  stared  in 
amazement,  but  when  he  heard  the  man  talk  of  all 
that  had  happened  for  years  his  fierce  face  grew 
gentler. 

They  had  their  meal;  they  offered  him  food,  but 
he  hardly  touched  it.  He  lay  down  to  sleep.  The 
man  and  his  wife  kept  awake  in  terror.  When  the 
fire  burned  up,  and  it  became  warm,  the  Chenoo  asked 
that  a  screen  should  be  placed  befure  him.  He  was 
from  the  ice ;  he  could  not  endure  heat. 

For  three  days  he  stayed  in  the  wigwam ;  for  three 
days  he  was  sullen  and  grim ;  he  hardly  ate.  Then 
he  seemed  to  change.  He  spoke  to  the  woman ;  he 
asked  her  if  she  had  any  tallow.  She  told  him  they 
had  much.  He  filled  a  large  kettle  ;  there  was  a  gal 
lon  of  it.  He  put  it  on  the  fire.  When  it  was  scald 
ing  hot  he  drank  it  all  off  at  a  draught. 

Pie  became  sick  ;  he  grew  pale.  He  cast  up  all  the 
horrors  and  abominations  of  earth,  things  appalling  to 
every  sense.  When  all  was  over  he  seemed  changed.1 

1  The  Chenoo  is  not  only  a  cannibal,  but  a  ghoul.  He  preys 
on  nameless  horrors.  In  this  case,  "  having  yielded  to  the  power 
of  kindness,  he  has  made  up  his  mind  to  partake  of  the  food  and 
hospitality  of  his  hosts,"  "to  change  his  life;  but  to  adapt  his 


236  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

He  lay  down  and  slept.  When  lie  awoke  he  asked 
for  food,  and  ate  much.  From  that  time  he  was  kind 
and  good.  They  feared  him  no  more. 

They  lived  on  meat  such  as  Indians  prepare.1  The 
Chenoo  was  tired  of  it.  One  day  he  said,  "  N'toos  " 
(my  daughter),  "  have  you  no  pela  weoos  ?  "  (fresh 
meat).  She  said,  "  No."  When  her  husband  re 
turned  the  Chenoo  saw  that  there  was  black  mud  on 
his  snow-shoes.  He  asked  him  if  there  was  a  spring 
of  water  near.  The  friend  said  there  was  one  half 
a  day's  journey  distant.  "  We  must  go  there  to-mor 
row,"  said  the  Chenoo. 

And  they  went  together,  very  early.  The  Indian 
was  fleet  in  such  running.  But  the  old  man,  who 
seemed  so  wasted  and  worn,  went  011  his  snow-shoes 
like  the  wind.  They  came  to  the  spring.2  It  was 
large  and  beautiful ;  the  snow  was  all  melted  away 
around  it ;  the  border  was  flat  and  green.3 

system  to  the  new  regimen,  he  must  thoroughly  clear  it  of  the 
old."  —  Rand  manuscript.  This  is  a  very  naive  and  curious 
Indian  conception  of  moral  reformation.  It  appears  to  be  a  very 
ancient  Eskimo  tale,  recast  in  modern  time  by  some  zealous 
recent  Christian  convert. 

1  That  is,  cured,  dried,  smoked,  and  then  packed  and  pressed 
in  large  blocks. 

2  "  The  Micmacs  have  two  words  for  a  spring  of  water  :  one 
for  summer,  utkuboh,  which  means  that  the  water  is  cool  ;  the 
other  for  winter,  keesoobok,  indicating  that  it  is  warm."  —  S.  T. 
Rand. 

3  Not  uncommon  round  warm  springs  even  in  midwinter,  and 
among  ice  and  snow. 


THE   CHENOO  LEGENDS.  237 

Then  the  Chenoo  stripped  himself,  and  danced 
around  the  spring  his  magic  dance  ;  and  soon  the  water 
began  to  foam,  and  anon  to  rise  and  fall,  as  if  some 
monster  below  were  heaving  in  accord  with  the  steps 
and  the  song.  The  Chenoo  danced  faster  and  wilder ; 
then  the  head  of  an  immense  Taktalok,  or  lizard, 
rose  above  the  surface.  The  old  man  killed  it  with  a 
blow  of  his  hatchet.  Dragging  it  out  he  began  again 
to  dance.  He  brought  out  another,  the  female,  not 
so  large,  but  still  heavy  as  an  elk.  They  were  small 
spring  lizards,  but  the  Chenook  had  conjured  them ; 
by  his  magic  they  were  made  into  monsters. 

He  dressed  the  game  ;  he  cut  it  up.  He  took  the 
heads  and  feet  and  tails  and  all  that  he  did  not  want, 
and  cast  them  back  into  the  spring.  "  They  will  grow 
again  into  many  lizards,"  he  said.  When  the  meat 
was  trimmed  it  looked  like  that  of  the  bear.  He 
bound  it  together  with  withes ;  he  took  it  en  his  shoul 
ders  ;  he  ran  like  the  wind ;  his  load  was  nothing. 

The  Indian  was  a  great  runner;  in  all  the  land 
was  not  his  like  ;  but  now  he  lagged  far  behind. 
"  Can  you  go  no  faster  than  that  ?  "  asked  the  Che 
noo.  "  The  sun  is  setting ;  the  red  will  be  black 
anon.  At  this  rate  it  will  be  dark  ere  we  get  home. 
Get  on  my  shoulders." 

The  Indian  mounted  on  the  load.  The  Chenoo 
bade  him  hold  his  head  low,  so  that  he  could  not  be 
knocked  off  by  the  branches.  "  Brace  your  feet,"  he 
said,  "  so  as  to  be  steady."  Then  the  old  man  flew 
like,  the  wind,  —  nebe  sokano'v'jal  samastukteskugul 


238  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

did  wegwasumug  wegul ;  the  bushes  whistled  as  they 
flew  past  them.  They  got  home  before  sunset. 

The  wife  was  afraid  to  touch  such  meat.1  But  her 
husband  was  persuaded  to  eat  of  it.  It  was  like  bear's 
meat.  The  Chenoo  fed  on  it.  So  they  all  lived  as 
friends. 

Then  the  spring  was  at  hand.  One  day  the  Chenoo 
told  them  that  something  terrible  would  soon  come  to 
pass.  An  enemy,  a  Chenoo,  a  woman,  was  coming  like 
wind,  yes  —  on  the  wind  —  from  the  north  to  kill  him. 
There  could  be  no  escape  from  the  battle.  She  would 
be  far  more  furious,  mad,  and  cruel  than  any  male, 
even  one  of  his  own  cruel  race,  could  be.  He  knew 
not  how  the  battle  would  end  ;  but  the  man  and  his 
wife  must  be  put  in  a  place  of  safety.  To  keep  from 
hearing  the  terrible  war-whoops  of  the  Chenoo,  which 
is  death  to  mortals,  their  ears  must  be  closed.  They 
must  hide  themselves  in  a  cave. 

Then  he  sent  the  woman  for  the  bundle  which  he 
had  brought  with  him,  and  which  had  hung  untouched 
on  a  branch  of  a  tree  since  he  had  been  with  them. 
And  he  said  if  she  found  aught  in  it  offensive  to  her 
to  throw  it  away,  but  to  certainly  bring  him  a  smaller 
bundle  which  was  within  the  other.  So  she  went  and 
opened  it,  and  that  which  she  found  therein  was  a 
pair  of  human  legs  and  feet,  the  remains  of  some  ear 
lier  horrid  meal.  She  threw  them  far  away.  The 
small  bundle  she  brought  to  him. 

1  "  The  Indians  are  much  less  particular  than  white  men  as  to 
food,  but  they  avoid  choojeeck,  or  reptiles."  —  Rand  manuscript. 


THE   CHENOO  LEGENDS.  239 

The  Chenoo  opened  it  and  took  from  it  a  pair  of 
horns,  —  horns  of  the  chepitchcalm,  or  dragon.  One 
of  them  has  two  branches ;  the  other  is  straight  and 
smooth.1  They  were  golden-bright.  He  gave  the 
straight  horn  to  the  Indian  ;  he  kept  the  other.  He 
said  that  these  were  magical  weapons,  and  the  only 
ones  of  any  use  in  the  coming  fight.  So  they  waited 
for  the  foe. 

And  the  third  day  came.  The  Chenoo  was  fierce 
and  bold  ;  he  listened  ;  he  had  no  fear.  He  heard 
the  long  and  awful  scream  —  like  nothing  of  earth  — 
of  the  enemy,  as  she  sped  through  the  air  far  away  in 
the  icy  north,  long  ere  the  others  could  hear  it.  And 
the  manner  of  it  was  this :  that  if  they  without  harm 
should  live  after  hearing  the  first  deadly  yell  of  the 
enemy  they  could  take  no  harm,  and  if  they  did  but 
hear  the  answering  shout  of  their  friend  all  would  be 
well  with  them.2  But  he  said,  "  Should  you  hear  me 
call  for  help,  then  hasten  with  the  horn,  and  you  may 
save  my  life." 

They  did  as  he  bade  :  they  stopped  their  ears  ;  they 
hid  in  a  deep  hole  dug  in  the  ground.  All  at  once 
the  cry  of  the  foe  burst  on  them  like  screaming 
thunder ;  their  ears  rang  with  pain :  they  were  well- 

1  In  the  winter  of  1882-1883,  Tomah  Josephs  killed  a  deer 
whose  horns  were   precisely  like  those  of  the  chepitchcalm  as 
regarded  shape. 

2  In  all  this  we  clearly  perceive  the  horrible  scream  of  the 
angakok,  or  Eskimo  Shaman,  trained  through  years  and  genera 
tions  to  utter  sounds  which  terrify  even  brave  men. 


240  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

nigh  killed,  for  all  the  care  they  had  taken.  But  then 
they  heard  the  answering  cry  of  their  friend,  and  were 
no  longer  in  danger  from  mere  noise. 

The  battle  begun,  the  fight  was  fearful.  The  mon 
sters,  by  their  magic  with  their  rage,  rose  to  the  size  of 
mountains.  The  tall  pines  were  torn  up,  the  ground 
trembled  as  in  an  earthquake,  rocks  crashed  upon 
rocks,  the  conflict  deepened  and  darkened  ;  no  tem 
pest  was  ever  so  terrible.  Then  the  male  Chenoo  was 
heard  crying :  "  N'loosook  !  choogooye !  abog  unu- 
mooe  !  "  "  My  son-in-law,  come  and  help  me  !  " 

He  ran  to  the  fight.  What  he  saw  was  terrible ! 
The  Chenoos,  who  upright  would  have  risen  far  above 
the  clouds  as  giants  of  hideous  form,  were  struggling 
on  the  ground.  The  female  seemed  to  be  the  con 
queror.  She  was  holding  her  foe  down,  she  knelt  on 
him,  she  was  doing  all  she  could  to  thrust  her  dragon's 
horn  into  his  ear.  And  he,  to  avoid  death,  was  mov 
ing  his  head  rapidly  from  side  to  side,  while  she, 
mocking  his  cries,  said,  "  You  have  no  son-in-law  to 
help  you."  Neen  ndbujjeole,  "  I  '11  take  your  cursed 
life,1  and  eat  your  liver." 

1  It  is  generally  said  that  there  can  be  no  swearing  in  Indian, 
but  Mr.  Rand  corrects  this  gross  error.  "  It  is  a  mistake,"  he 
writes,  "  to  suppose  that  the  red  man  cannot  swear  in  his  own 
tongue."  It  cannot,  of  course,  be  expected  that  simple  savages 
can  swear  like  cultivated  Christians,  but  they  do  the  best  they 
can.  They  introduce  the  venom  into  their  speech  by  inserting 
an  extra  syllable.  Thus  nabole  or  naboV  means,  "  I  will  kill 
you,"  but  ndbujeol'  is  the  equivalent  of  "  I  '11  take  your  cursed 
life,"  though  it  has  not  that  literal  meaning.  Having  only  one 


THE   CHENOO  LEGENDS.  241 

The  Indian  was  so  small  by  these  giants  that  the 
stranger  did  not  notice  him.  "  Now,"  said  his  friend, 
"  thrust  the  horn  into  her  ear !  "  He  did  this  with  a 
well-directed  blow ;  he  struck  hard  ;  the  point  entered 
her  head.  At  the  touch  it  sprouted  quick  as  a  flash 
of  lightning,  it  darted  through  the  head,  it  came  out 
of  the  other  ear,  it  had  become  like  a  long  pole.  It 
touched  the  ground,  it  struck  downward,  it  took  deep 
and  firm  root. 

The  male  Chenoo  bade  him  raise  the  other  end  of 
the  horn  and  place  it  against  a  large  tree.  He  did  so. 
It  coiled  itself  round  the  tree  like  a  snake,  it  grew 
rapidly  ;  the  enemy  was  held  hard  and  fast.  Then  the 
two  began  to  dispatch  her.  It  was  long  and  weary 
work.  Such  a  being,  to  be  killed  at  all,  must  be 
hewed  into  small  pieces ;  flesh  and  bones  must  all  be 
utterly  consumed  by  fire.  Should  the  least  fragment 
remain  unburnt,  from  it  would  spring  a  grown  Chenoo, 
with  all  the  force  and  fire  of  the  first.1 

The  fury  of  battle  past,  the  Chenoos  had  become  of 
their  usual  size.  The  victor  hewed  the  enemy  to 
small  pieces,  to  be  revenged  for  the  insult  and  threat 

small  syllable  to  swear  with,  the  Indians  are,  however,  not  so 
profuse  and  wasteful  of  profanity  as  their  more  gifted  and  pious 
white  brethren. 

1  The  idea  is  common  to  both  Eskimo  and  Indian  that  so  long 
as  a  fragment  of  a  body  remains  unburned,  the  being,  man  or 
beast,  may,  by  magic,  be  revived  from  it.  It  was  probably  sug 
gested  by  observing  the  great  vitality  and  power  of  self-produc 
tion  inherent  in  many  lower  forms  of  life,  and  may  have  given 
rise  to  the  belief  in  vampires. 
16 


242  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

as  to  eating  his  liver.  He,  having  roasted  that  part 
of  his  captive,  ate  it  before  her ;  while  she  was  yet 
alive  he  did  this.  He  told  her  she  was  served  as  she 
would  have  served  him. 

But  the  hardest  task  of  all  was  to  come.  It  was  to 
burn  or  melt  the  heart.  It  was  of  ice,  and  more  than 
ice  :  as  much  colder  as  ice  is  colder  than  fire,  as  much 
harder  as  ice  is  harder  than  water.  When  placed  in 
the  fire  it  put  out  the  flame,  yet  by  long  burning  it 
melted  slowly,  until  they  at  last  broke  it  to  fragments 
with  a  hatchet,  and  then  melted  these.  So  they  re 
turned  to  the  camp. 

Spring  came.  The  snows  of  winter,  as  water,  ran 
down  the  rivers  to  the  sea ;  the  ice  and  snow  which 
had  encamped  on  the  inland  hills  sought  the  shore. 
So  did  the  Indian  and  his  wife ;  the  Chenoo,  with 
softened  soul,  went  with  them.  Now  he  was  becom 
ing  a  man  like  other  men.  Before  going  they  built  a 
canoe  for  the  old  man :  they  did  not  cover  it  with 
birch  bark ;  they  made  it  of  moose-skin.1  In  it  they 
placed  a  part  of  their  venison  and  skins.  The  Chenoo 
took  his  place  in  it ;  they  took  the  lead,  he  followed. 

And  after  winding  on  with  the  river,  down  rapids 
and  under  forest-boughs,  they  came  out  into  the  sun- 

1  "  The  Indians  have  several  names  for  a  canoe  :  Kwedun  (M.) ; 
A'kweden  (P.);  N'tooal  (M.),  my  canoe  or  my  water-craft  of  any 
kind  ;  Mooseoolk,  a  canoe  covered  with  moose-skin  (M.) ;  Skogu- 
moolk  (M.),  a  new  canoe  ;  N'canoolk  (M.),  an  old  canoe."  —  Rand 
manuscript.  To  these  may  be  added  the  different  patterns  of 
canoes  peculiar  to  different  tribes,  as  for  instance  the  Mohawk, 
which  is  broad,  with  peculiar  ends,  etc. 


THE   CHENOO  LEGENDS.  243 

shine,  on  a  broad,  beautiful  lake.  But  suddenly,  when 
midway  in  the  water,  the  Chenoo  laid  flat  in  the  canoe, 
as  if  to  hide  himself.  And  to  explain  this  he  said  that 
he  had  just  then  been  discovered  by  another  Chenoo, 
who  was  standing  on  the  top  of  a  mountain,  whose  dim 
blue  outline  could  just  be  seen  stretching  far  away  to 
the  north.  "  He  has  seen  me,"  he  said,  "  but  he  can 
not  see  you.  Nor  can  he  behold  me  now ;  but  should 
he  discover  me  again,  his  wrath  will  be  roused.  Then 
he  will  attack  me  ;  I  know  not  who  might  conquer.  I 
prefer  peace." 

So  he  lay  hidden,  and  they  took  his  canoe  in  tow. 
But  when  they  had  crossed  the  lake  and  come  to  the 
river  again,  the  Chenoo  said  that  he  could  not  travel 
further  by  water.  He  would  walk  the  woods,  but 
sail  on  streams  no  more.  So  they  told  him  where 
they  meant  to  camp  that  night.  He  started  over 
mountains  and  through  woods  and  up  rocks,  a  far, 
round-about  journey.  And  the  man  and  his  wife 
went  down  the  river  in  a  spring  freshet,  headlong  with 
the  rapids.1  But  when  they  had  paddled  round  the 
point  where  they  meant  to  pass  the  night,  they  saw 
smoke  rising  among  the  trees,  and  on  landing  they 
found  the  Chenoo  sleeping  soundly  by  the  fire  which 
had  been  built  for  them. 

1  One  should  be  familiar  with  the  almost  impassable  forests 
of  Maine  and  Canada,  even  as  they  are  at  the  present  day,  to 
properly  appreciate  the  Chenook's  journey.  As  for  the  speed  of 
the  canoe,  I  have  myself  gone  down  the  Kenawha  River  (Va.),  in 
a  dug-out,  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  miles  in  a  day. 


244  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

This  he  repeated  for  several  days.  But  as  they 
went  south  a  great  change  came  over  him.  He  was  a 
being  of  the  north.  Ice  and  snow  had  no  effect  on 
him,  but  he  could  not  endure  the  soft  airs  of  summer. 
He  grew  weaker  and  weaker  ;  when  they  had  reached 
their  village  he  had  to  be  carried  like  a  little  child. 
He  had  grown  gentle.  His  fierce  and  formidable 
face  was  now  like  that  of  a  man.  His  wounds  had 
healed ;  his  teeth  no  longer  grinned  wildly  all  the  time. 
The  people  gathered  round  him  in  wonder. 

He  was  dying.  This  was  after  the  white  men  had 
come.  They  sent  for  a  priest.  He  found  the  Chenoo 
as  ignorant  of  all  religion  as  a  wild  beast.  At  first 
he  would  repel  the  father  in  anger.  Then  he  listened 
and  learned  the  truth.  So  the  old  heathen's  heart 
changed ;  he  was  deeply  moved.  He  asked  to  be 
baptized,  and  as  the  first  tear  which  he  had  ever  shed 
in  all  his  life  came  to  his  eyes  he  died.1 

1  This  strange  and  touching  tale  was  told  to  Mr.  Rand  by  a 
Micmac  Indian,  Louis  Brooks,  who  heard  it  from  his  grandfather, 
Samuel  Paul,  a  chief,  who  died  in  1843,  at  the  age  of  eighty. 
He  was  a  living  chronicle  of  ancient  traditions.  The  Chenoo 
can  be  directly  identified  with  the  so-called  Inlander  of  the 
Greenland  Eskimo.  He  is  a  cannibal,  a  giant,  a  mysterious 
being  who  haunts  the  horrible  and  almost  unexplored  interior. 
He  assumes  different  forms  ;  in  one  shape  he  is  supposed  to  be  a 
man  who  has  become  a  recluse  and  a  misanthrope.  But  no  such 
being  as  a  Chenoo  could  ever  have  been  imagined  out  of  an 
arctic  country.  The  conception  of  the  heart  of  hardest  ice  and 
the  gradual  civilization  of  the  savage  by  kindness  ;  the  tact  with 
which  this  is  done,  as  only  a  woman  could  do  it  ;  the  indication 
of  the  old  nature,  as  shown  by  eating  the  liver  of  his  conquered 


THE   CHENOO  LEGENDS.  245 

As  there  is  actually  a  tribe  of  Indiana  in  the  North 
west  called  Chenoo,  there  can  be  little  doubt  as  to  the 
derivation  of  the  name.  Such  a  character  could  have 
originated,  as  I  have  said,  only  in  the  icy  north ;  it 
could  never  have  grown  in  the  milder  regions  of  the 
west  and  south.  But  the  Chenoo,  the  monstrous,  fero 
cious  cannibal  giant,  with  an  icy  heart,  is  the  central 
figure  of  the  evil  supernatural  beings  of  the  north. 
The  Schoolcraft  traditions  and  Hiawatha  have  little  to 
say  of  Titans  whose  heads  top  the  clouds,  who  tear  up 
forests  and  rend  rocks,  and  change  the  whole  face  of 
Nature  in  their  hideous  battles  or  horrible  revels.  But 
such  scenes  are  continually  described  by  the  Passama- 
quoddy  and  Micmac  story-tellers,  and  they  would  be 
natural  enough  to  Greenlanders,  familiar  with  whales, 
icebergs,  frozen  wastes,  long  winter  nights,  and  all  the 
frozen  desolation  of  the  north. 

There  is  a  mystery  connected  with  the  eating  of  the 
liver,  which  is  to  be  explained,  like  many  other  Indian 
mysteries,  by  having  recourse  to  the  Eskimo  Shaman 
ism.  "  In  Greenland  a  man  who  has  been  murdered 
can  revenge  himself  by  rushing  into  him,"  that  is, 
entering  his  soul,  "  which  can  only  be  prevented  by 
eating  a  piece  of  his  liver."  (Rink,  T.  and  T.  of  the 
Eskimo,  page  45.)  The  Chenoo  is  in  all  essentials 
identical  with  the  Kivigtok  of  Greenland,  "  a  man  who 
has  fled  mankind,  and  acquired  extraordinary  mental 
and  physical  powers.  The  story  which  I  have  here 

foe,  and  his  final  conversion,  display  a  genius  which  is  greatly 
heightened  by  the  simplicity  of  the  narrative. 


246  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

given  is  probably  that  of  the  Eskimo  tale  of  the 
Blind  Man  who  recovered  his  sight  (Rink,  page  99), 
in  which  a  Kimgtok,  after  becoming  incredibly  old,  re 
turns  to  mankind  to  seek  a  Shaman  priest  and  repent. 
In  both  stories  there  is  a  "  Chenoo,"  and  in  both  there 
is  atonement  with  mankind  and  the  higher  powers. 

It  may  be  observed  that  while  the  Chenoo  is  a  giant 
with  a  heart  of  ice  as  hard  as  stone,  the  giant  Hrung- 
nir,  of  the  Edda,  has  a  heart  of  stone.  The  Chenoo 
agrees  with  the  Jb'tuns  in  many  respects. 

The  Story  of  the  Great  Chenoo,  as  told  by  the  Passama- 

quoddies. 
(Passamaquoddy) . 

What  the  Micmacs  call  a  Chenoo  is  known  to  the 
Passamaquoddies  as  a  Jfewahqu*  or  Jiieivoqu '.  And 
this  is  their  origin.  When  the  k'tchi  m'teoulin,  or 
Great  Big  Witch,1  is  conquered  by  the  smaller  witches, 
or  M'teoulinssisk,  they  can  kill  him  or  turn  him  into 
a  Kewahqu\  He  still  fights,  however,  with  the  other 
Kewaquiych.  When  they  get  ready  to  fight,  they 
suddenly  become  as  tall  as  the  highest  trees;  their 
weapons  are  the  trees  themselves,  which  they  uproot 
with  great  strength.  And  this  strength  depends  upon 
the  quantity  or  size  of  the  piece  of  ice  which  makes 
the  heart  of  the  Kewahqu\  This  piece  of  ice  is  like 

1  When  legends  from  the  Anglo-Indian  manuscript  collection 
of  Mitchell  are  given,  many  of  the  phrases  or  words  in  the 
original  are  retained,  without  regard  to  style  or  correctness. 
Wizard  should  be  placed  here  for  witch. 


THE   CHENOO  LEGENDS.  247 

a  little  human  figure,  with  hands,  feet,  head,  and 
every  member  perfect. 

The  female  Kewahqu'  is  more  powerful  than  the 
male.  They  make  a  noise  like  a  roaring  lion  (pee'h- 
tahlo\  but  sharper  (shriller)  and  more  frightful. 
Their  abode  is  somewhere  in  I£as  mu  das  doosek,  in 
some  cold  region  in  far  Northern  Canada. 

In  summer  time  they  rub  themselves  all  over  with 

poo-pooka-wigu,  or  fir  balsam,  and  then  roll  themselves 

on  the  ground,  so  that  everything  adheres  to  the  body, 

—  moss,  leaves,  and  even  small  sticks.    This  was  often 

seen  of  old  by  Indian  hunters. 

Once  a  newly  married  Indian  couple  had,  accord 
ing  to  Indian  custom,  gone  on  the  long  fall  and  win 
ter  hunt.  One  day  when  the  man  was  away  an  old 
Kewahqu'  came  and  looked  into  the  wigwam.  The 
wife  was  frightened,  but  she  made  up  her  mind  at 
once :  she  called  him  Mittunksl,  or  "  my  father." 
The  old  Kewahqu'  was  very  proud  to  be  called  father. 
When  she  heard  her  husband  returning  she  ran  out 
and  told  him  that  a  great  Kewahqu'  was  in  the  camp, 
and  that  he  must  call  him  M'sil  hose,  or  "  father- 
in-law."  So  going  in  he  did  this,  and  the  Kewahqu' 
was  still  more  pleased.  So  they  lived  with  him, 
and  hunted  with  him.  He  was  very  skillful  in  the 
chase.  When  they  came  to  broad  and  deep  waters 
the  Kewahqu'  would  swim  them  with  his  son-in-law 
on  his  back.  He  could  run  faster  than  any  wild  an 
imal. 

One  day  he  told  his  children  to  go  away  to  a  great 


248  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

distance.  "  There  is  a  great  female  Kewahqu'  coming 
to  fight  ine.  In  the  struggle  I  may  not  know  you,  and 
may  hurt  you."  So  they  went  away  as  fast  and  as  far 
as  they  could,  but  they  heard  the  fighting,  the  most 
frightful  noises,  howls,  yells,  thundering  and  crashing 
of  wood  and  rocks.  After  a  time  the  man  determined 
to  see  the  fight.  When  he  got  to  the  place  he  saw 
a  horrible  sight:  big  trees  uprooted,  the  giants  in  a 
deadly  struggle.  Then  the  Indian,  who  was  very  brave, 
and  who  was  afraid  that  his  father-in-law  would  be 
killed,  came  up  and  helped  as  much  as  he  could,  and  in 
fact  so  much  that  between  them  they  killed  the  enemy. 
The  old  Kewahqu'  was  badly  but  not  fatally  hurt, 
and  the  woman  was  very  glad  her  father  came  off  vic 
torious.  She  had  always  heard  that  a  Kewahqu'  had 
a  piece  of  ice  for  a  heart.  If  this  can  be  taken  out, 
the  Kewahqu'  can  be  tamed  and  cured.  So  she  made 
a  preparation  or  medicine,  and  offered  it  to  him. 
He  did  not  know  what  it  was,  nor  its  strength,  so  he 
swallowed  it,  and  it  gave  him  a  vomit.  She  saw  some 
thing  drop,  so  quietly  picked  it  up  :  it  was  the  figure 
of  a  man  of  ice ;  it  was  the  Kewahqu's  heart.  She, 
not  being  seen  or  noticed,  put  it  in  the  fire,  when  he 
cried,  "  Daughter,  you  are  killing  me  now ;  you  destroy 
my  strength."  Yet  she  made  him  take  more  of  the 
medicine,  and  a  second  heart  came  out.  This  she 
also  put  on  the  fire.  But  when  a  third  came  he 
grabbed  it  from  her  hand,  and  swallowed  it.  How 
ever,  he  was  almost  entirely  cured. 

Another  time  an  Indian  village  was  visited  by  a 


THE   CHENOO  LEGENDS.  249 

Ke wall qu',  but  he  was  driven  away  by  magic.  The 
people  marked  crosses  on  the  trees  where  they  ex 
pected  the  Kewahqu'  to  come.  There  was  a  great  ex 
citement  among  the  Indians,  expecting  to  hear  their 
strange  visitor  with  his  frightful  noises.  It  was  the 
old  people  who  gave  the  advice  to  mark  crosses  on 
the  trees. 

Another  time  an  Indian  of  either  the  Passama- 
quoddy  or  Mareschite  tribe  was  turned  to  a  Kewahqu'. 
The  last  time  he  was  seen  was  by  a  party  of  Indian 
hunters,  who  recognized  him.  He  had  only  small 
strips  of  clothing.  "  This  country,"  he  said,  "  is  too 
warm  for  me.  I  am  going  to  a  colder  one." 

This  story  from  the  Passamaquoddy  Anglo-Indian 
manuscript  of  Mitchell  supplies  some  very  important 
deficiencies  in  the  preceding  Micmac  version.  We 
are  told  that  the  heart  of  the  Chenoo  is  of  ice  in 
human  figure.  This  human  figure  is  that  of  the  Ke 
wahqu'  himself,  or  rather  his  very  self,  or  microcosm. 
It  is  this,  and  not  the  liver,  which  is  swallowed  by  the 
victor,  who  thus  adds  another  frozen  "  soul  "  to  his 
own.  Of  the  three  vomited  by  the  Kewahqu',  two 
were  the  hearts  of  enemies  whom  he  had  conquered. 
He  could  not  give  up  his  own,  however.  It  is  much 
more  according  to  common  sense  that  the  woman 
should  have  given  the  cannibal  the  magic  medicine 
which  made  him  yield  his  heart  than  that  he  should 
voluntarily  have  purged  himself.  In  the  Micmac  tale 
he  merely  relieves  his  stomach ;  in  the  Passamaquoddy 
version  he,  by  woman's  influence,  loses  his  icy  heart. 


250  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  that  the  use  of  the  Chris 
tian  cross  is  in  the  additional  anecdote  described  as 
magic. 

It  is  the  main  point  in  the  Chenoo  stories  that  this 
horrible  being,  this  most  devilish  of  devils,  is  at  first 
human ;  perhaps  an  unusually  good  girl,  or  youth. 
From  having  the  heart  once  chilled,  she  or  he  goes 
on  in  cruelty,  until  at  last  the  sufferer  eats  the  heart 
of  another  Chenoo,  especially  a  female's.  Then  utter 
wickedness  ensues.  It  is  more  than  probable  that 
this  leads  us  back  to  some  dark  and  terrible  Shaman 
superstition,  older  than  we  can  now  fathom.  There  is 
a  passage  in  the  Edda  which  its  translator,  Thorpe, 
thinks  can  never  be  explained.  "  I  believe,"  he  writes, 
"  the  difficulty  is  beyond  help."  The  lines  are  as  fol 
lows  :  — 

"Loki  scorched  up  l 

In  his  heart's  affections, 

Had  found  a  half -burnt 

Woman's  heart. 

Loki  became  guileful 

from  that  wicked  woman  : 

thence  in  the  world 

are  all  giantesses  come." 

Of  which  Thorpe  writes,  "  The  sense  of  this  and  the 
following  line  is  not  apparent.  They  stand  thus  in 
the  original:  Loki  of  hiarta  lyrdi  brendu,  fann  liann 
halfsvidthin  hugstein  konu,  for  which  Grimm  (Myth. 
Vbrrede  37)  would  read  Loki  at  hiarta  lundi  brenda, 
etc.,  Lokius  comedit  cor  in  nemore  assum,  invenit 
i  The  Edda,  p.  112. 


THE   CHENOO  LEGENDS.  251 

semiustum  mentis  lapidem  mulieris"  Whatever  ob 
scurity  exists  here,  it  is  evident  that  it  means  that 
Loki,  having  become  bad,  grew  worse  after  having 
got  the  half-burnt  stone  of  a  woman's  soul.  That  is, 
his  own  heart,  half  ruined,  became  utterly  so  after  he 
had  added  to  it  the  demoralized  hug  stein,  soul-stone, 
thought-stone,  or  heart  of  a  woman.  If  we  assume 
that  stone  and  heart  are  the  same,  the  difficulty  van 
ishes.  And  they  are  one  in  the  Chenoo,  who,  like 
Loki,  illustrates  or  symbolizes  the  passage  from  good 
to  evil,  which  a  German  writer  declares  is  quicker 
than  thought,  or  that  very  same  Hugi  which  the  Norse 
myth  puts  forwards  as  swiftest  of  all  runners.  Loki, 
not  as  yet  lost,  gets  the  stone  heart  of  a  giantess,  and 
becomes  an  utter  devil  at  once.  The  Chenoo  becomes 
an  utter  devil  when  he  has  swallowed  the  thought- 
stone  of  a  giantess,  and  so  does  Loki. 

The  Girl-Chenoo. 

(Micmac.) 

Of  the  old  time.  Far  up  the  Saguenay  River  a 
branch  turns  off  to  the  north,  running  back  into  the 
land  of  ice  and  snow.  Ten  families  went  up  this 
stream  one  autumn  in  their  canoes,  to  be  gone  all 
\vinter  on  a  hunt.  Among  them  was  a  beautiful  girl, 
twenty  years  of  age.  A  young  man  in  the  band  wished 
her  to  become  his  wife,  but  she  flatly  refused  him. 
Perhaps  she  did  it  in  such  a  way  as  to  wound  his 
pride ;  certainly  she  roused  all  that  was  savage  in 
him,  and  he  gave  up  all  his  mind  to  revenge. 


252  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

He  was  skilled  in  medicine,  or  in  magic,  so  he  went 
into  the  woods  and  gathered  an  herb  which  makes 
people  insensible.  Then  stealing  into  the  lodge  when 
all  were  asleep,  he  held  it  to  the  girl's  face,  until  she 
had  inhaled  the  odor  and  could  not  be  easily  awak 
ened.  Going  out  he  made  a  ball  of  snow,  and  return 
ing  placed  it  in  the  hollow  of  her  neck,  in  front,  just 
below  the  throat.  Then  he  retired  without  being  dis 
covered.  So  she  could  not  awake,  while  the  chill 
went  to  her  heart.1 

When  she  awoke  she  was  chilly,  shivering,  and 
sick.  She  refused  to  eat.  This  lasted  long,  and  her 
parents  became  alarmed.  They  inquired  what  ailed 
her.  She  was  ill-tempered  ;  she  said  that  nothing  was 
the  matter.  One  day,  having  been  sent  to  the  spring 
for  water,  she  remained  absent  so  long  that  her  mother 
went  to  seek  her.  Approaching  unseen,  she  observed 
her  greedily  eating  snow.  And  asking  her  what  it 
meant,  the  daughter  explained  that  she  felt  within  a 
burning  sensation,  which  the  snow  relieved.  More 
than  that,  she  craved  the  snow ;  the  taste  of  it  was 
pleasant  to  her. 

After  a  few  days   she   began   to   grow  fierce,   as 

1  The  Eskimo  Shamans  and  the  Indian  boo-oin  are  familiar 
with  many  very  ingenious  and  singular  ways  of  producing-  pro 
longed  illness  and  death.  There  is  one  known  to  a  very  few  old 
gypsies,  of  gradually  inducing  insanity  and  death,  which  I  have 
never  seen  noted  in  any  work  on  toxicology.  In  a  work  which 
I  lately  read,  it  was  positively  denied  that  there  was  any  such 
thing  as  a  "  lingering  poison  "  I 


THE   CHENOO  LEGENDS.  253 

though  she  wished  to  kill  some  one.  At  last  she 
begged  her  parents  to  kill  her.  Hitherto  she  had 
loved  them  very  much.  Now  she  told  them  that  un 
less  they  killed  her  she  would  certainly  be  their  death. 
Her  whole  nature  was  being  changed. 

"  How  can  we  kill  you  ?  "  her  mother  asked. 

"You  must  shoot  at  me,"  she  replied,  "  with  seven 
arrows.1  And  if  you  can  kill  me  with  seven  shots 
all  will  be  well.  But  if  you  cannot,  I  shall  kill  you." 

Seven  men  shot  at  her,  as  she  sat  in  the  wigwam. 
She  was  not  bound.  Every  arrow  struck  her  in  the 
breast,  but  she  sat  firm  and  unmoved.  Forty-nine 
times  they  pierced  her ;  from  time  to  time  she  looked 
up  with  an  encouraging  smile.  When  the  last  arrow 
struck  she  fell  dead. 

Then  they  burned  the  body,  as  she  had  directed. 
It  was  soon  reduced  to  ashes,  with  the  exception  of 
the  heart,  which  was  of  the  hardest  ice.  This  re 
quired  much  time  to  melt  and  break.  At  last  all  was 
over. 

She  had  been  brought  under  the  power  of  an  evil 
spirit ;  she  was  rapidly  being  changed  into  a  Chenoo, 
a  wild,  fierce,  unconquerable  being.  But  she  knew  it 
all  the  while,  and  it  was  against  her  will.  So  she 
begged  that  she  might  be  killed. 

The  Indians  left  the  place  ;  since  that  day  none  have 
ever  returned  to  it.  They  feared  lest  some  small  part 
of  the  body  might  have  remained  unconsumed,  and 

1  The  Micmac  version  gives  guns.  But  the  Chenoo  stories  are 
evidently  very  ancient,  and  refer  to  terrors  of  the  olden  time. 


254  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

that  from  it  another  Chenoo  would  rise,  capable  of 
killing  all  whom  she  met.1 

1  Mr.  Rand  (manuscript)  gives  a  detailed  account  of  an  In 
dian  who  went  mad  during  the  winter,  ran  away  naked  into  the 
wilderness  among  the  snows,  and  was  unanimously  declared  to 
have  turned  into  a  Chenoo.  I  agree  with  Mr.  Rand  that  "  the 
historical  basis  of  these  tales,  if  they  have  any,  may  be  the 
same,  —  a  case  of  lunacy  ;  fiction  and  figure  adding  the  incred 
ible  details." 


THUNDER  STORIES. 

Of  the  Girl  ivho  married  Mount  Katahdin,  and  how  all 
the  Indians  brought  about  their  own  Ruin. 

(Penobscot.) 

OF  the  old  time.  There  was  once  an  Indian  girl 
gathering  blueberries  on  Mount  Katahdin.  And,  be 
ing  lonely,  she  said,  "  I  would  that  I  had  a  hus 
band  !  "  And  seeing  the  great  mountain  in  all  its 
glory  rising  on  high,  with  the  red  sunlight  on  the  top, 
she  added,  "  I  wish  Katahdin  were  a  man,  and  would 
marry  me  !  " 

All  this  she  was  heard  to  say  ere  she  went  onward 
and  up  the  mountain,  but  for  three  years  she  was 
never  seen  again.  Then  she  reappeared,  bearing  a 
babe,  a  beautiful  child,  but  his  little  eyebrows  were  of 
stone.  For  the  Spirit  of  the  Mountain  had  taken  her 
to  himself  ;  and  when  she  greatly  desired  to  return 
to  her  own  people,  he  told  her  to  go  in  peace,  but  for 
bade  her  to  tell  any  man  who  had  married  her. 

Now  the  boy  had  strange  gifts,  and  the  wise  men 
said  that  he  was  born  to  become  a  mighty  magician. 
For  when  he  did  but  point  his  finger  at  a  moose, 
or  anything  which  ran,  it  would  drop  dead ;  and 
when  in  a  canoe,  if  he  pointed  at  the  flocks  of  wild 
ducks  or  swans,  then  the  water  was  at  once  covered 


256  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

with  the  floating  game,  and  they  gathered  them  in  as 
they  listed,  and  through  that  boy  his  mother  and  every 
one  had  food  and  to  spare. 

Now  this  was  the  truth,  and  it  was  a  great  wonder, 
that  Katahdin  had  wedded  this  girl,  thinking  with 
himself  and  his  wife  to  bring  up  a  child  who  should 
build  up  his  nation,  and  make  of  the  Wabauaki  a 
mighty  race.  And  he  said,  "  Declare  unto  these  peo 
ple  that  they  are  not  to  inquire  of  thee  who  is  the 
father  of  thy  child ;  truly  they  will  all  know  it  by  see 
ing  him,  for  they  shall  not  grieve  thee  with  imperti 
nence."  Now  the  woman  had  made  it  known  that  she 
would  not  be  questioned,  and  she  gave  them  all  what 
they  needed ;  yet,  for  all  this,  they  could  not  refrain 
nor  restrain  themselves  from  talking  to  her  on  what 
they  well  knew  she  would  fain  be  silent.  And  one 
day  when  they  had  angered  her,  she  thought,  "  Truly 
Katahdin  was  right ;  these  people  are  in  nowise  wor 
thy  of  my  son,  neither  shall  he  serve  them  ;  he  shall 
not  lead  them  to  victory  ;  they  are  not  of  those  who 
make  a  great  nation."  And  being  still  further  teased 
and  tormented,  she  spake  and  said,  "  Ye  fools,  who 
by  your  own  folly  will  kill  yourselves ;  ye  mud-wasps, 
who  sting  the  fingers  which  would  pick  ye  out  of  the 
water,  why  will  ye  ever  trouble  me  to  tell  you  what 
you  well  know  ?  Can  you  not  see  who  was  the  father 
of  my  boy  ?  Behold  his  eyebrows  ;  do  ye  not  know 
Katahdin  by  them  ?  But  it  shall  be  to  your  exceed 
ing  great  sorrow  that  ever  ye  inquired.  From  this 
day  ye  may  feed  yourselves  and  find  your  own  veni 
son,  for  this  child  shall  do  so  no  more  for  you." 


THUNDER   STORIES.  257 

And  she  arose  and  went  her  way  into  the  woods  and 
up  the  mountain,  and  was  seen  on  earth  no  more. 
And  since  that  day  the  Indians,  who  should  have  been 
great,  have  become  a  little  people.  Truly  it  would 
have  been  wise  and  well  for  those  of  early  times  if 
they  could  have  held  their  tongues. 

This  remarkable  legend  was  related  to  me  by  Mrs. 
Marie  Sakis,  a  Penobscot,  a  very  clever  story-teller. 
It  gives  the  Fall  of  Man  from  a  purely  Indian  stand 
point.  Nothing  is  so  contemptible  in  Indian  eyes  as 
a  want  of  dignity  and  idle,  loquacious  teasing ;  there 
fore  it  is  made  in  the  myth  the  sin  which  destroyed 
their  race.  The  tendency  of  the  lower  class  of  Amer 
icans,  especially  in  New  England,  to  raise  and  empha 
size  the  voice,  to  speak  continually  in  italics  and  small 
and  large  capitals,  with  a  wide  display,  and  the  con 
stant  disposition  to  chaff  and  tease,  have  contributed 
more  than  any  other  cause  to  destroy  confidence  and 
respect  for  them  among  the  Indians. 

Since  writing  the  foregoing  paragraph,  I  have  read 
The  Abnakis,  by  Rev.  Eugene  Yetromile.  In  his 
chapter  on  the  Religion  and  Superstition  of  these  In 
dians  he  gives  this  story,  but,  as  I  think,  in  a  cor 
rupted  form.  Firstly,  he  states  that  Pamola  (that  is, 
Bumole),  who  is  the  evil  spirit  of  the  night  air,  was 
the  Spirit  of  Mount  Katahdin.  Now  these  are  cer 
tainly  at  present  two  very  distinct  beings,  which  are 
described  as  being  personally  quite  unlike.  Secondly, 
in  Vetromile's  story  the  mother  and  child  disappear 

17 


258  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

in  consequence  of  the  child  having  inadvertently  killed 
an  Indian  by  pointing  at  him.  It  will  be  seen  that 
this  feeble,  impotent  conclusion  utterly  spoils  the  man 
ifest  meaning  of  the  whole  legend. 

Of  this  story  Vetromile  remarks  that  "it  is,  of 
course,  a  superstitious  tale,  made  up  by  the  prolific 
imagination  of  some  Indians,  yet  we  can  perceive  in 
it  some  vestiges  of  the  fall  of  the  first  man  in  having 
transgressed  the  command  of  God,  and  how  it  could 
be  repaired  only  by  God.  We  can  also  trace  some 
ideas  of  the  mystery  of  the  Incarnation  of  the  Son  of 
God  in  the  womb  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  mixed 
with  fables,  superstitions,  and  pagan  errors.  The  ap 
pearance  of  God  to  Moses  in  the  Burning  Bush  may 
be  glimpsed  in  Pamole  appearing  to  the  Indian  on 
Mount  Katahdin,  and  so  forth." 

The  pilgrims  in  Rabelais  did  not  point  out  scriptu 
ral  coincidences  with  greater  ingenuity  than  this.  It 
is  deeply  to  be  regretted  that  the  reverend  father's  en 
tire  knowledge  of  the  mythology  of  the  Abenakis  was 
limited  to  this  single  story.  (Vide  Bumole,  in  chap 
ter  on  Supernatural  Beings.)  It  may  be,  however, 
observed,  that  if  the  name  Bumole  or  Pamela  really 
means  "  he  curses  on  the  mountain,"  or  curse  on 
mountain,  it  was  natural  that  the  evil  spirit  should  be 
supposed  to  be  on  the  mountain.  Pamela  was  per 
haps  at  an  early  period  the  spirit  of  lightning,  and 
might  thus  be  very  easily  confused  with  Katahdin. 


THUNDER   STORIES.  259 

How  a  Hunter  visited  the  Thunder  Spirits  who  dwell  in 
Mount  Katahdin. 

(Passamaquoddy.) 

N'karnayoo.  Of  old  times.  Once  an  Indian  went 
forth  to  hunt.  And  he  departed  from  the  east  branch 
of  the  Penobscot,  and  came  to  the  head  of  another 
branch  that  leads  into  the  east  branch,  and  this  he 
followed  even  to  the  foot  of  Mount  Katahdin.1  And 
there  he  hunted  many  a  day  alone,  and  met  none,  till 
one  morning  in  midwinter  he  found  the  track  of  snow- 
shoes.  So  he  returned  to  his  camp ;  but  the  next  day 
he  met  with  it  again  in  a  far-distant  place.  And  thus 
it  was  that,  wherever  he  went,  this  track  came  to  him 
every  day.  Then  noting  this,  as  a  sign  to  be  ob 
served,  he  followed  it,  and  it  went  up  the  mountain, 
Katahdin,  which,  being  interpreted,  means  "  the  great 
mountain,"  until  at  last  it  was  lost  in  a  hard  snow- 
•*shoe  road  made  by  many  travelers.  And  since  it  was 
hard  and  even,  he  took  off  his  agahmook  (P.)»  or 
snow-shoes,  and  went  ever  on  and  up  with  the  road ; 
and  it  was  a  strange  path  and  strange  was  its  ending, 
for  it  stopped  just  before  a  high  ledge,  like  an  im 
mense  wall,  on  a  platform  at  its  foot.  And  there 

1  This  minuteness  of  needless  detail  is  very  characteristic  of 
Indian  tales.  I  do  not  think  that  it  is  introduced  for  the  sake  of 
local  color,  or  to  give  an  air  of  truthful  seeming,  because  the  In 
dian  simply  believes  the  whole,  as  it  is.  I  think  the  reason  may 
be  that,  owing  to  their  love  of  adventure,  they  enjoy  the  mere 
recitation  of  topographical  details. 


260  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

were  many  signs  there,  as  of  many  people,  yet  he  saw 
no  one.  And  as  he  stayed  it  seemed  to  grow  stranger 
and  stranger.  At  last  he  heard  a  sound  as  of  foot 
steps  coming,  yet  within  the  wall,  when  lo  !  a  girl 
stepped  directly  out  of  the  precipice  upon  the  plat 
form.  But  though  she  was  beautiful  beyond  belief, 
he  was  afraid.  And  to  his  every  thought  she  an 
swered  in  words,  and  that  so  sweetly  and  kindly  and 
cleverly  that  he  was  soon  without  fear,  though  he  saw 
that  she  had  powerful  niteoulin,  or  great  magic 
power.  And  they  being  soon  pleased  one  with  the 
other,  and  wanting  each  other,  she  bade  him  accom 
pany  her,  and  that  by  walking  directly  through  the 
rock.  "  Have  no  fear,"  said  she,  "  but  advance  bold 
ly  !  "  So  he  obeyed,  and  lo !  the  rock  was  as  the 
air,  and  it  gave  way  as  he  went  on.  And  ever  as 
they  went  the  maiden  talked  to  him,  answering  his 
thoughts,  so  that  he  spoke  not  aloud. 

And  anon  they  came  to  a  great  cavern  far  within, 
and  there  was  an  old  man  seated  by  a  fire,  and  the 
old  man  welcomed  him.  And  he  was  very  kindly 
treated  by  the  strange  pair  all  day :  in  all  his  life  he 
had  never  been  so  happy.  Now  as  the  night  drew 
near,  the  old  man  said  to  his  daughter,  "  Can  you  hear 
aught  of  your  brothers  ?  "  Then  she  went  out  to  the 
terrace,  and,  returning,  said,  "  No."  Then  anon  he 
asked  her  again,  and  she,  going  and  returning  as  be 
fore,  replied,  "  Now  I  hear  them  coming."  Then  they 
listened,  when  lo !  there  came,  as  at  the  door  without, 
a  crash  of  thunder  with  a  flash  of  lightning,  and  out 


THUNDER   STORIES.  261 

of  the  light  stepped  two  young  men  of  great  beauty, 
but  like  giants,  stupendous  and  of  awful  mien.  And, 
like  their  father,  their  eyebrows  were  of  stone,  while 
their  cheeks  were  as  rocks. 

And  the  hunter  was  told  by  their  sister  that  when 
they  went  forth,  which  was  every  few  days,  their 
father  said  to  them,  "  Sons,  arise  !  it  is  time  now  for 
you  to  go  forth  over  the  world  and  save  our  friends. 
Go  not  too  near  the  trees,  but  if  you  see  aught  that  is 
harmful  to  those  whom  we  love,  strike,  and  spare 
not ! "  Then  when  they  went  forth  they  flew  on  high, 
among  the  clouds :  and  thus  it  is  that  the  Thunder 
and  Lightning,  whose  home  is  in  the  mighty  Katah- 
din,  are  made.  And  when  the  thunder  strikes,  the 
brothers  are  shooting  at  the  enemies  of  their  friends. 

Now  when  the  day  was  done  the  hunter  returned  to 
his  home,  and  when  there,  found  he  had  been  gone 
seven  years.  All  this  I  have  heard  from  the  old  peo 
ple  who  are  dead  and  gone. 

This  tale  was  told  me  by  Tomah  Josephs  (P.)-  I* 
seems  to  have  nothing  in  common  with  the  very  widely 
spread  myth  that  the  thunder  is  the  flapping  of  the 
wings  of  a  giant  bird,  and  the  lightning  the  flashes  of 
its  eyes.  The  tradition  is  probably  of  Eskimo  origin, 
supernatural  beings  partially  of  stone  being  common 
to  Greenland  and  Labrador.  There  is  a  strange  but 
entirely  accidental  resemblance  between  this  story  and 
Rip  Van  Winkle,  as  in  the  distant  sound  of  the  nine 
pins  like  low-muttered  thunder,  the  hospitable  enter- 


262  THE  ALGONQUIN*  LEGENDS. 

tainment,  and  finally  the  seven  years  as  one  day.  Ap 
parent  resemblances  are  very  deceptive.  In  the  Es 
kimo  mythology  the  mersugat  or  Jcutadlit,  who  are 
the  higher  or  benevolent  spirits,  protecting  mortals, 
are  distinguished  from  the  evil  ones  by  dwelling  in 
'cliffs,  to  which  there  are  invisible  entrances. 

There  is  a  remarkable  resemblance  between  Katah- 
din  and  Hrungiiir  of  the  Edda.  Hrungnir  has  a  face 
of  stone ;  he  is  unquestionably  a  mountain  personified, 
as  Miss  Lamed  declares  :  "  His  stony  head  pierces 
the  blue  sky."  *  Both  giants  are  the  typical  great 
mountain  of  their  respective  countries.  Hrungnir 
has  also  very  great  affinity  with  the  Chenoo  giant. 
He  has  a  stony  heart,  an  insatiable  appetite,  and  is 
cruel  and  brutal. 

The  Iroquois  have  the  very  stone  giants  —  or,  as 
Schoolcraft  calls  them,  the  stonish  giants  —  them 
selves,  and  a  very  curious  picture  of  them  has  been 
preserved.2  Of  them  ho  remarks,  "Who  the  giants 
are  intended  to  symbolize  is  uncertain.  They  are 
represented  as  impenetrable  by  darts."  The  connec 
tion  between  the  stone  giants  of  the  Indians,  the  Es 
kimo,  and  the  Norsemen,  if  not  historical,  is  at  least 
identical  in  this,  that  they  all  typify  the  mountains. 

1  Tales  of  the  Elder  Edda,  p.  235. 

2  Vide  Cusick's  Five  Nations,  2d  edition,  and  Schoolcraft's  In 
dian  Tribes,  vol.  i.  p.  429. 


THUNDER   STORIES.  263 

The  Thunder  and  Lightning  Men. 
(Passamaquoddy.) 

This  is  truly  an  old  Indian  story  of  old  time.  Once 
an  Indian  was  whirled  up  by  the  roaring*  wind  :  he 
was  taken  up  in  a  thunder-storm,  and  set  down  again 
in  the  village  of  the  Thunders.1  In  after- times  he 
described  them  as  very  like  human  beings :  they  used 
bows  and  arrows  (tah-bokque),  and  had  wings. 

But  these  wings  can  be  laid  aside,  and  kept  for  use. 
And  from  time  to  time  their  chief  gives  these  Thun 
ders  orders  to  put  them  on,  and  tells  them  where  to 
go.  He  also  tells  them  how  long  they  are  to  be  gone, 
and  wrarns  them  not  to  go  too  low,  for  it  is  sure  death 
for  them  to  be  caught  in  the  crotch  of  a  tree. 

The  great  chief  of  the  Thunders,  hearing  of  the 
stranger's  arrival,  sent  for  him,  and  received  him 
very  kindly,  and  told  him  that  he  would  do  well  to 
become  one  of  them.  To  which  the  man  being  willing, 
the  chief  soon  after  called  all  his  people  together  to 
see  the  ceremony  of  thunderif ying  2  the  Indian. 

Then  they  bade  him  go  into  a  square  thing,  or  box, 
and  while  in  it  he  lost  his  senses  and  became  a 

1  Tliis  tale  is  transcribed,  with  very  little  alteration,  from  a 
manuscript  collection  of  tales  written  in  Indian-English  by  an 
Indian.    I  retain  the  word  thunders  as  expressive  of  the  beings  in 
question.    It  has  for  title,  A  Story  called  "An  Indian  transformed 
into  a  Thunder  !  " 

2  This  word  is  one  of  the  Indian  author's  own,  but  as  I  know 
of  no  synonym  for  it  I  retain  it.     It  is  certainly  not  worse  than 
"  Native- Americanizing." 


264  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Thunder.  Then  they  brought  him  a  pair  of  wings, 
and  he  put  them  on.  So  he  flew  about  like  the  rest 
of  the  Thunders  ;  he  became  quite  like  them,  and  fol 
lowed  all  their  ways.  And  he  said  that  they  always 
flew  towards  the  sou'  ri  snook,  or,  south,  and  that  the 
roar  and  crash  of  the  thunder  was  the  sound  of  their 
wings.  Their  great  amusement  is  to  play  at  ball 
across  the  sky.1  When  they  return  they  carefully  put 
away  their  wings  for  their  next  flight.  There  is  a  big 
bird  in  the  south,  and  this  they  are  always  trying  to 
kill,  but  never  succeed  in  doing  so. 

They  made  long  journeys,  and  always  took  him 
with  them.  So  it  went  on  for  a  long  time,  but  it 
came  to  pass  that  the  Indian  began  to  tire  of  his 
strange  friends.  Then  he  told  the  chief  that  he 
wished  to  see  his  family  on  earth,  and  the  sagamore 
listened  to  him  and  was  very  kind.  Then  he  called 
all  his  people  together,  and  said  that  their  brother 
from  the  other  world  was  very  lonesome,  and  wished 
to  return.  They  were  all  very  sorry  indeed  to  lose 
him,  but  because  they  loved  him  they  let  him  have 
his  own  way,  and  decided  to  carry  him  back  again. 
So  bidding  him  close  his  eyes  till  he  should  be  on 
earth,  they  carried  him  down. 

The  Indians  saw  a  great  thunder-storm  drawing 
near ;  they  heard  such  thunder  as  they  never  knew 
before,  and  then  something  in  the  shape  of  a  human 
being  coming  down  with  lightning;  then  they  ran 

1  The  Eskimo  say  that  the  lightning  of  the  Northern  Lights  is 
caused  by  spirits  playing  at  ball  with  the  head  of  a  walrus. 


THUNDER   STORIES.  265 

to  the  spot  where  he  sat,  and  it  was  their  long-lost 
brother,  who  had  been  gone  seven  years. 

He  had  been  in  the  Thunder-world.  He  told  them 
how  he  had  been  playing  ball  with  the  Thunder-boys  : 
yes,  how  he  had  been  turned  into  a  real  Thunder  him 
self. 

This  is  why  the  Indians  to  this  very  day  have  a  firm 
belief  that  the  thunder  and  lightning  we  hear  and  see 
are  caused  by  (beings  or  spirits)  (called)  in  Indian 
Bed-dag  yek  (or  thunder),1  because  they  see  them, 
and  have,  moreover,  actually  picked  up  the  bed-dags 
k'chisousan,  or  thunder-bullet.2  It  is  of  many  dif 
ferent  kinds  of  stone,  but  always  of  the  same  shape. 
The  last  was  picked  up  by  Peter  Sabatfcis,3  one  of  the 
Passamaquoddy  tribe.  He  has  it  yet.  He  found  it 
in  a  crotch-root  of  a  spruce-tree  at  Head  Harbor,  on 
the  island  of  Campobello.  This  stone  is  a  sign  of 
good-luck  to  him  who  finds  it. 

1  The  manuscript  is  here  difficult  to  understand,  but  this  is 
apparently  the  real  meaning  of  it. 

2  Thunderbolt. 

8  I  heard  of  the  existence  of  this  legend  a  long  time  before  I 
found  it  in  the  manuscript  collection  obtained  for  me  by  Louis 
Mitchell.  It  is  very  curious  as  being  unquestionably  of  Eskimo 
origin,  or  common  to  the  Eskimo  ;  also  because  it  speaks  of  the 
Thunders  as  always  endeavoring  to  kill  a  great  bird  in  the  south. 
This  is  probably  the  thunder  or  storm  bird,  called  by  the  Pas 
samaquoddy  Indians  Wochoicsen  or  Wuchowsen,  that  is,  Wind- 
Blower.  Another  legend  makes  Thunder  and  Lightning  the 
sons  of  Mount  Kata^lidin. 

I  may  here  mention  that  I  am  well  acquainted  with  old  Peter 
Sabattis,  the  possessor  of  the  "  thunder-bullet." 


266      THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

The  thunder  is  the  sound  of  the  wings  of  the  men 
who  fly  above.  The  lightning  we  see  is  the  fire  and 
smoke  of  their  pipes. 

Of  the  Woman  who  married  the  Thunder,  and  of  their 

Boy. 
(Passamaquoddy.) 

Once  a  woman  went  to  the  edge  of  a  lake 1  and  lay 
down  to  sleep.  As  she  awoke,  she  saw  a  great  ser 
pent,  with  glittering  eyes,  crawl  from  the  water,  and 
stealthily  approach  her.  She  had  no  power  to  resist 
his  embrace.  After  her  return  to  her  people  her 
condition  betrayed  itself,  and  she  was  much  perse 
cuted  ;  they  pursued  her  with  sticks  and  stones,  howl 
ing  abuse. 

She  fled  from  the  village  ;  she  went  afar  into  wild 
places,  and,  sitting  down  011  the  grass,  wept,  wishing 
that  she  were  dead.  As  she  sat  and  wailed,  a  very 
beautiful  girl,  dressed  in  silver  and  gold,2  appeared, 
and  after  listening  to  her  sad  story  said,  "  Follow 
me !  " 

Then  they  went  up  on  high  into  a  mountain,  through 
three  rocks,  until  they  came  into  a  pleasant  wigwam 
with  a  very  smooth  floor.  An  old  man,  so  old  that 

1  It  is  impossibla  to  distinguish  in  any  Indian  story  between 
lake  and  sea. 

2  Both  silver  and  gold  were  known  in  pro-Columbian  times  to 
tli3  Indians.      I  had  a  cousin  who  once  found  a  very  old  stone 
pipe  in  which  a  small  piece  of  gold  had  been  set.     Particles 
of  gold  are  found  in  many  mountain-streams  in  New  England. 


THUNDER   STORIES.  267 

he  was  all  white,  came  to  meet  them.  Then  he, 
taking  a  short  stick,  bade  her  dance.  He  began  to 
sing,  and  as  he  sang  she  gave  birth,  one  by  one,  to 
twelve  serpents.  These  the  old  man  killed  in  suc 
cession  with  his  stick  as  they  were  born.  Then  she 
had  become  thin  again,  and  was  in  her  natural  form. 

The  old  man  had  a  son,  Badawk,  the  Thunder,  and 
a  daughter,  P saiuk-tankapic,  the  Lightning,  and  when 
Thunder  returned  he  offered  to  take  her  back  to  her 
own  people,  but  she  refused  to  go.  Then  the  old  man 
said  to  his  son,  "  Take  her  for  your  wife  and  be  good 
to  her."  So  they  were  married. 

In  time  she  bore  a  son.  When  the  boy  could  stand, 
the  old  man,  who  never  leaves  the  mountain,  called  him 
to  stand  before  him,  while  he  fastened  wings  to  the 
child.  He  was  soon  able,  with  these  wings,  to  make  a 
noise,  which  greatly  pleased  the  grandfather.  When  a 
storm  is  approaching,  the  distant  rumbling  is  the  mut 
tering  thunder  made  by  the  child,  but  it  is  Badawk, 
his  father,  who  comes  in  the  dark  cloud  and  makes 
the  roaring  crash,  while  Psawk-tankapic  flashes  her 
lightnings. 

In  after  days,  when  the  woman  visited  her  people, 
she  told  them  that  they  never  need  fear  the  thunder 
or  lightning. 


AT-O-SIS,  THE  SERPENT. 

How  Two  Girls  were  changed  to   Water-Snakes,  and  of 

Two  Others  that  became  Mermaids. 

(Passamaquoddy.) 

POCUMKWESS,  or  Thoroughfare,  is  sixty-five  miles 
from  Campobello.  There  was  an  Indian  village  there 
in  the  old  times.  Two  young  Indian  girls  had  a 
strange  habit  of  absenting  themselves  all  day  every 
Sunday.  No  one  knew  for  a  long  time  where  they 
went  or  what  they  did.  But  this  was  how  they  passed 
their  time.  They  would  take  a  canoe  and  go  six  miles 
down  the  Grand  Lake,  where,  at  the  north  end,  is  a 
great  ledge  of  rock  and  sixty  feet  of  water.  There 
they  stayed.  All  day  long  they  ran  about  naked  or 
swam  ;  they  were  wanton,  witch-like  girls,  liking  ec 
centric  and  forbidden  ways. 

They  kept  this  up  for  a  long  time.  Once,  while 
they  were  in  the  water,  an  Indian  who  was  hunting 
spied  them.  He  came  nearer  and  nearer,  unseen. 
He  saw  them  come  out  of  the  water  and  sit  on  the 
shore,  and  then  go  in  again  ;  but  as  he  looked  they 
grew  longer  and  longer,  until  they  became  snakes. 

He  went  home  and  told  this.  (But  now  they  had 
been  seen  by  a  man  they  must  keep  the  serpent 
form.)  Men  of  the  village,  in  four  or  five  canoes, 


AT-O-SIS,    THE  SERPENT.  269 

went  to  find  them.  They  found  the  canoe  and  clothes 
of  the  girls ;  nothing  more.  A  few  days  after,  two 
men  on  Grand  Lake  saw  the  snake-girls  on  shore, 
showing  their  heads  over  the  bushes.  One  began  to 

sing, 

"  N'ktieh  ieben  mt, 

Qu'spen  ma  ke  owse." 

We  are  going  to  stay  in  this  lake 

A  few  days,  and  then  go  down  the  river. 

Bid  adieu  to  our  friends  for  us  ; 

We  are  going  to  the  great  salt  water. 

After  singing  this  they  sank  into  the  water.  They 
had  very  long  hair. 

A  picture  of  the  man  looking  at  the  snake-girls 
was  scraped  for  me  by  the  Indian  who  told  me  this 
story.  The  pair  were  represented  as  snakes  with  fe 
male  heads.  When  I  first  heard  this  tale,  I  promptly 
set  it  down  as  nothing  else  but  the  Melusina  story 
derived  from  a  Canadian  French  source.  But  I  have 
since  found  that  it  is  so  widely  spread,  and  is  told  in 
so  many  different  forms,  and  is  so  deeply  connected 
with  tribal  traditions  and  totems,  that  there  is  now 
no  doubt  in  my  mind  that  it  is  at  least  pre-Colum 
bian. 

Another  and  a  very  curious  version  of  this  story 
was  obtained  by  Mrs.  W.  Wallace  Brown,  who  has 
been  the  chief  discoverer  of  curious  Indian  lore  among 
the  Passamaquoddies.  It  is  called: 


270  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Ne  If  was,  the  Mermaid. 

A  long  time  ago  there  was  an  Indian,  with  his  wife 
and  two  daughters.  They  lived  by  a  great  lake,  or 
the  sea,  and  the  mother  told  her  girls  never  to  go  into 
the  water  there,  for  that,  if  they  did,  something  would 
happen  to  them. 

They,  however,  deceived  her  repeatedly.  When 
swimming  is  prohibited  it  becomes  delightful.  The 
shore  of  this  lake  sands  away  out  or  slopes  to  an 
island.  One  day  they  went  to  it,  leaving  their  clothes 
on  the  beach.  The  parents  missed  them. 

The  father  went  to  seek  them.  He  saw  them  swim 
ming  far  out,  and  called  to  them.  The  girls  swam  up 
to  the  sand,  but  could  get  no  further.  Their  father 
asked  them  why  they  could  not.  They  cried  that  they 
had  grown  to  be  so  heavy  that  it  was  impossible. 
They  were  all  slimy  ;  they  grew  to  be  snakes  from 
below  the  waist.  After  sinking  a  few  times  in  this 
strange  slime  they  became  very  handsome,  with  long 
black  hair  and  large,  bright  black  eyes,  with  silver 
bands  on  their  neck  and  arms. 

When  their  father  went  to  get  their  clothes,  they 
began  to  sing  in  the  most  exquisite  tones  :  — 

"  Leave  them  there  ! 
Do  not  touch  them  ! 
Leave  them  there  ! " 

Hearing  this,  their  mother  began  to  weep,  but  the 
girls  kept  on  :  — 

"  It  is  all  our  own  fault, 
But  do  not  blame  us  ; 


AT-O-SIS,    THE   SERPENT.  271 

'T  will  be  none  the  worse  for  you. 
When  you  go  in  your  canoe, 
Then  you  need  not  paddle  ; 
We  shall  carry  it  along  ! " 

And  so  it  was  :  when  their  parents  went  in  the  ca 
noe,  the  girls  carried  it  safely  on  everywhere. 

One  day  some  Indians  saw  the  girls'  clothes  on  the 
beach,  and  so  looked  out  for  the  wearers.  They  found 
them  in  the  water,  and  pursued  them,  and  tried  to 
capture  them,  but  they  were  so  slimy  that  it  was  im 
possible  to  take  them,  till  one.  catching  hold  of  a  mer 
maid  by  her  long  black  hair,  cut  it  off. 

Then  the  girl  began  to  rock  the  canoe,  and  threat 
ened  to  upset  it  unless  her  hair  was  given  to  her  again. 
The  fellow  who  had  played  the  trick  at  first  refused, 
but  as  the  mermaids,  or  snake-maids,  promised  that 
they  should  all  be  drowned  unless  this  was  done,  the 
locks  were  restored.  And  the  next  day  they  were 
heard  singing  and  were  seen,  and  on  her  who  had  lost 
her  hair  it  was  all  growing  as  long  as  ever. 

We  may  very  easily  detect  the  hand  of  Lox,  the 
Mischief  Maker,  in  this  last  incident.  It  was  the  same 
trick  which  Loki  played  on  Sif,  the  wife  of  Odin. 
That  both  Lox  and  Loki  were  compelled  to  replace 
the  hair  and  make  it  grow  again  —  the  one  on  the 
snake-maid,  the  other  on  the  goddess  —  is,  if  a  coin 
cidence,  at  least  a  very  remarkable  one.  It  is  a  rule 
with  little  exception  that  where  we  have  to  deal  with 
myths  which  have  passed  into  romances  or  tales,  that 


272      THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

which  was  originally  one  character  becomes  many, 
just  as  the  king  who  has  but  one  name  and  one  ap 
pearance  at  court  assumes  a  score  when  he  descends 
to  disguise  of  low  degree  and  goes  among  the  people. 
But  when,  in  addition  to  characteristic  traits,  we  have 
even  a  single  anecdote  or  attribute  in  common,  the 
identification  is  very  far  advanced.  When  not  one, 
but  many,  of  these  coincidences  occur,  we  are  in  all 
probability  at  the  truth.  Thus  we  find  in  the  mythol 
ogy  of  the  Wabanaki,  as  in  the  Edda,  the  chief  evil 
being  indulging  in  mere  wanton,  comic  mischief,  to 
an  extent  not  to  be  found  in  the  devil  of  any  other 
race  whatever.  Here,  in  a  mythical  tale,  the  same 
mischief  maker  steals  a  snake-girl's  hair,  and  is  com 
pelled  to  replace  it.  In  the  Edda,  the  corresponding 
mischief  maker  steals  the  hair  of  a  goddess,  and  is 
also  forced  to  make  restitution.  Yet  this  is  only  one 
of  many  such  resemblances  in  these  tales.  It  will  be 
observed  that  in  both  cases  the  hair  of  the  loser  is 
made  to  grow  again.  But  while  the  incident  has  in 
the  Edda  a  meaning,  as  appears  from  its  context,  it 
has  none  in  the  Indian  tale.  All  that  we  can  con 
clude  from  this  is  that  the  Wabanaki  tale  is  subse 
quent  to  the  Norse,  or  taken  from  it.  The  incidents 
of  tales  are  often  remembered  when  the  plot  is  lost. 
It  is  certainly  very  remarkable  that,  wherever  the 
mischief  maker  occurs  in  these  Indian  tales,  he  in 
every  narrative  does  something  in  common  with  his 
Norse  prototype. 


AT-O-SIS,    THE  SERPENT.  273 

Of  the  Woman  who  loved  a  Serpent  who  lived  in  a  Lake. 
(Passamaquoddy.) 

Of  old  times.  There  was  a  very  beautiful  woman. 
She  turned  the  heads  of  all  the  men.  She  married, 
and  her  husband  died  very  soon  after,  but  she  imme 
diately  took  another.  Within  a  single  year  she  had 
five  husbands,  and  these  were  the  cleverest  and  hand 
somest  and  bravest  in  the  tribe.  And  then  she  mar 
ried  again. 

This,  the  sixth,  was  such  a  silent  man  that  he  passed 
for  a  fool.  But  he  was  wiser  than  people  thought.  He 
came  to  believe,  by  thinking  it  over,  that  this  woman 
had  some  strange  secret.  He  resolved  to  find  it  out. 
So  he  watched  her  all  the  time.  He  kept  his  eye  on 
her  by  night  and  by  day. 

It  was  summer,  and  she  proposed  to  go  into  the 
woods  to  pick  berries,  and  to  camp  there.  By  and  by, 
when  they  were  in  the  forest,  she  suggested  that  he 
should  go  on  to  the  spot  where  they  intended  to  re 
main  and  build  a  wigwam.  He  said  that  he  would  do 
so.  But  he  went  a  little  way  into  the  woods  and 
watched  her. 

As  soon  as  she  believed  that  he  was  gone,  she  rose 
and  walked  rapidly  onwards.  He  followed  her,  un 
seen.  She  went  on,  till,  in  a  deep,  wild  place  among 
the  rocks,  she  came  to  a  pond.  She  sat  down  and 
sang  a  song.  A  great  foam,  or  froth,  rose  to  the  sur 
face  of  the  water.  Then  in  the  foam  appeared  the 
tail  of  a  serpent.  The  creature  was  of  immense  size. 


274  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

The  woman,  who  had  laid  aside  all  her  garments,  em 
braced  the  serpent,  which  twined  around  her,  envelop 
ing  all  her  limbs  and  body  in  his  folds.  The  husband 
watched  it  all.  He  now  understood  that,  the  venom  of 
the  serpent  having  entered  the  woman,  she  had  saved 
her  life  by  transferring  it  to  others,  who  died. 

He  went  on  to  the  camping  ground  and  built  a  wig 
wam.  He  made  up  two  beds ;  he  built  a  fire.  His 
wife  came.  She  was  earnest  that  there  should  be  only 
a  single  bed.  He  sternly  bade  her  lie  by  herself.  She 
was  afraid  of  him.  She  lay  down,  and  went  to  sleep. 
He  arose  three  times  during  the  night  to  replenish  the 
fire.  Every  time  he  called  her,  and  there  was  no  an 
swer.  In  the  morning  he  shook  her.  She  was  dead. 
She  had  died  by  the  poison  of  the  serpent.  They  sunk 
her  in  the  pond  where  the  snake  lived. 

I  do  not  omit  this  ghastly  and  repulsive  legend  for 
the  following  reasons :  One  might  hastily  conclude, 
from  its  resemblance  to  the  old  legend  of  the  origin  of 
the  Merovingian  family,  that  this  idea  of  the  woman 
with  the  horrible  water  spirit  for  a  lover  was  of  Cana 
dian  French  origin.  But  a  story  like  it  in  the  main 
detail  is  told  by  the  Indians  of  Guiana,  and  that  of 
the  Faithless  Wife,  given  in  Rink's  Tales  and  Tra 
ditions  of  the  Eskimo  (p.  143),  is  almost  the  same. 
But  in  the  latter  the  husband  revenges  himself  by 
stuffing  the  woman  full  of  poisonous  vermin.  Rink 
says  that  he  had  five  different  versions  of  this  tale,  and 
that  one  was  from  Labrador,  a  country  often  traveled 


EPTP  N     £  A^ 


THE    WOMAN    AND    THE    SERPENT- 


AT-O-SIS,    THE   SERPENT.  275 

by  the  Micmacs,  and  even  by  the  Penobscots  and  Pas- 
samaquoddies ;  I  myself  knowing  one  of  the  latter  who 
has  been  there.  I  conjecture  that  this  tale  sets  forth 
the  aboriginal  idea  of  the  origin  of  a  certain  disease 
supposed  to  have  come  from  America.  It  is  popularly 
believed  among  the  vulgar  that  this  disease  can  be 
transferred  to  another  person,  thereby  removing  it 
from  the  first.  Of  this  the  Rev.  Thistleton  Dyer,  in 
his  Folk  Lore  of  Shakespeare,  says,  "  According  to 
an  old  but  erroneous  belief,  infection  communicated 
to  another  left  the  infecter  free  ;  in  allusion  to  which 
Timon  of  Athens  (Act  IV.  3)  says,  — 

"  *  I  will  not  kiss  thee ;  then  the  rot  returns 
To  thy  own  lips  again.'  " 

Bonifacius,  Historia  Ludicra,  has  collected  all  the 
instances  known  to  classical  antiquity  of  women  who 
had  serpent  lovers.  The  kings  of  the  early  races  of 
Central  America  laid  great  stress  on  the  fact  that 
they  were  descendants  of  serpents.  One  could  fill  a 
volume  with  all  the  Arab,  Hindoo,  and  other  Oriental 
tales  belonging  to  the  beloved  of  "  ophitic  monsters." 

I  am  indebted  for  this  very  curious  and  ancient 
tale  to  Governor  Tomah  Josephs,  of  Peter  Dana's 
Point,  Maine. 

The  Mother  of  Serpents. 

(Passamaquoddy.) 

There  was  once  a  couple  well  advanced  in  years. 
They  were  powerful  and  rich  in  the  Indian  fashion, 
but  they  were  unhappy  because  they  had  no  children. 


276  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

This  was  near  the  river  St.  John's^  on  the  shore  of 
a  small  lake. 

After  the  woman  had  gone  in  vain  to  all  the  medi 
cine  men  and  mteoulin,  she  heard  of  an  old  doctress, 
or  witch,  who  lived  not  very  far  off.  And  though 
hope  was  almost  dead,  the  witch  was  consulted. 

She  gave  the  wife  some  herbs,  and  bade  her  steep 
them  in  a  pot  out-of-doors,  and  then  let  them  boil. 
When  the  vessel  should  dance  over  the  flame,  the  pro 
pitious  moment  would  be  at  hand. 

Everything  succeeded  according  to  the  witch's  pre 
diction.  A  few  days  after  she  appeared  in  the  town. 
The  mother,  who  was  a  very  proud  woman,  had  in 
advance  hung  up  an  Indian  cradle  with  very  fine  or 
naments.  The  eld  woman  was  very  dirty,  poor,  and 
squalid.  The  proud  woman  was  furious  at  the  visit, 
which  mortified  her  in  every  way.  She  drove  the 
witch  away  with  bitter  words,  bidding  her  begone 
with  her  rags.  The  old  woman  went  away  mutter 
ing,  "  That  woman  —  too  proud  —  too  ugly  proud  — 
I  '11  see."  i 

What  she  saw  was  bad  for  the  mother.  She  took 
some  more  herbs  from  her  box  and  threw  them  in  the 
fire,  crying  with  a  loud  voice,  "  At-o-sis  !  At-o-sis!  " 
and  imitated  the  motions  of  a  snake. 

When  the  proud  woman  was    confined,  she   gave 

birth  to  two  large  serpents.     They  had  each  a  white 

ring  round  the  neck  and  red  stripes  down  the  sides. 

As  soon  as  they  were  born  they  went  rapidly  to  the 

1  The  story  was  narrated  in  Indian-English. 


AT-0-S1S,    THE  SERPENT.  277 

lake,  and  disappeared  in  its  water.     They  have  been 
seen  there,  now  and  then,  ever  since. 

She  who  gave  birth  to  them  was  a  Mohawk,  and  she 
is  called  the  Mother  of  Serpents. 

Another  Passamaquoddy  tale  gives  the  following  ac 
count  of  the  origin  of  the  Serpent-race. 

Once  there  was  an  Indian  sorcerer  came  to  a  wig- 
wani  where  there  was  a  man  who  had  a  very  handsome 
daughter. 

The  magician  wished  to  win  the  girl ;  the  father 
made  up  his  mind  that  he  should  not  have  her. 

The  magician  told  them  that  he  was  very  wealthy, 
and  had  a  great  lodge  filled  with  furs  and  wampum. 
It  was  of  no  use. 

Then  he  told  the  father  that  if  he  would  go  and  cast 
his  lines  in  a  certain  place  he  would  catch  as  many 
of  the  finest  fish  as  he  wanted.  The  old  man  went, 
but  took  his  daughter  with  him. 

When  they  returned,  loaded  with  fish,  the  magician, 
smiling,  said  to  the  girl  with  great  mystery,  "  When 
you  have  cooked  these  fish,  always  throw  away  the 
tail,  and  begin  by  eating  the  head  first." 

He  knew  very  well  that  her  curiosity  and  perversity 
would  make  her  disobey  him.  She  waited  with  impa 
tience  till  the  man  had  left,  when  she  hurried  to  cook 
and  eat  the  fish.  Thereby  she  became  a  mother,  and 
the  magician  had  his  revenge. 


278  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Origin  of  the  Black  Snakes. 
(Passamaquoddy.) 

Far  away,  very  far  in  the  north,  there  dwelt  by  the 
border  of  a  great  lake  a  man  and  his  wife.  They 
had  no  children,  and  the  woman  was  very  beautiful 
and  passionate. 

The  lake  was  frozen  over  during  the  greater  part 
of  the  year.  One  day  when  the  woman  cut  away  the 
ice,  she  saw  in  the  water  a  bright  pair  of  large  eyes 
looking  steadily  at  her.  They  charmed  her  so  that 
she  could  not  move.  Then  she  distinguished  a  hand 
some  face ;  it  was  that  of  a  fine  slender  young  man. 
He  came  cut  of  the  water.  His  eyes  seemed  brighter 
and  more  fascinating  than  ever ;  he  glittered  from 
head  to  foot;  on  his  breast  was  a  large  shining  sil 
very  plate. 

The  woman  learned  that  this  was  At-o-sis,  the  Ser 
pent,  but  she  returned  his  embraces  and  held  conver 
sation  with  him,  and  was  so  charmed  with  her  lover 
that  she  not  only  met  him  more  than  once  every  day, 
but  even  went  forth  to  see  him  in  the  night. 

Her  husband,  noticing  these  frequent  absences,  asked 
her  why  she  went  forth  so  frequently.  She  replied, 
"To  get  the  fresh  air." 

The  weather  grew  warmer;  the  ice  left  the  lake; 
grass  and  leaves  were  growing.  Then  the  woman 
waited  till  her  husband  slept,  and  stole  out  from  the 
man  whom  she  kissed  no  more,  to  the  lover  whom 
she  fondled  and  kissed  more  than  ever. 


AT-O-SIS,    THE  SERPENT.  279 

At  last  the  husband's  suspicions  being  fairly  aroused, 
he  resolved  to  watch  her.  To  do  this  he  said  that 
he  would  be  absent  for  three  days.  But  he  returned 
at  the  end  of  the  first  day,  and  found  that  she  was 
absent.  As  she  came  in  he  observed  something  like 
silvery  scales  on  the  logs.  He  asked  what  they  were. 
She  replied,  Brooches.1 

He  was  still  dissatisfied,  and  said  that  he  would  be 
gone  for  one  day.  He  went  to  the  top  of  a  hill  not 
far  distant,  whence  he  watched  her.  She  went  to  the 
shore,  and  sat  there.  By  and  by  there  rose  up  out 
of  the  lake,  at  a  distance,  what  seemed  to  be  a  brightly 
shining  piece  of  ice.  It  came  to  the  strand  and  rose 
from  the  water.  It  was  a  very  tall  and  very  hand 
some  man,  dressed  in  silver.  His  wife  clasped  the 
bright  stranger  in  her  arms,  kissing  him  again  and 
again. 

The  husband  was  awed  by  this  strange  event.  He 
went  home,  and  tried  to  persuade  his  wife  to  leave  the 
place  and  to  return  to  her  people.  This  she  refused 
to  do.  He  departed ;  he  left  her  forever.  But  her 
father  and  mother  came  to  find  her.  They  found  her 
there ;  they  dwelt  with  her.  Every  day  she  brought 
to  them  furs  and  meat.  They  asked  her  whence  she 
got  them.  "  I  have  another  husband,"  she  replied  ; 
"  one  who  suits  me.  The  one  I  had  was  bad,  and  did 
not  use  me  well.  This  one  brings  all  the  animals  to 
me."  Then  she  sent  them  away  with  many  presents, 

1  Nskmahn'l :  coins  of  all  sizes  hammered  out  by  the  Indians 
and  made  into  pin-brooches. 


280      THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

telling  them  not  to  return  until  the  ice  had  formed ; 
that  was  in  the  autumn. 

When  they  returned  she  had  become  white.  She 
was  with  young,  and  soon  gave  birth  to  her  offspring. 
It  consisted  of  many  serpents.  The  parents  went 
home.  As  they  departed  she  said  to  them,  "  When 
you  come  again  you  may  see  me,  but  you  will  not 
know  me." 

Years  after  some  hunters,  roaming  that  way,  re 
membered  the  tale,  and  looked  for  the  wigwam.  It 
was  there,  but  no  one  was  in  it.  But  all  the  woods 
about  the  place  were  full  of  great  black  snakes,  which 
would  rise  up  like  a  human  being  and  look  one  in 
the  face,  then  glide  away  without  doing  any  harm. 


THE   PARTRIDGE. 

The  Adventures  of  the  Great  Hero  Pulowech,  or  the 
Partridge. 

(Micrnac.) 

Wee-yig-yik-keseyook.  A  tale  of  old  times.  Two 
men  once  lived  together  in  one  wigwam  in  the  woods, 
on  the  border  of  a  beautiful  lake.  Many  hard-wood 
trees  made  their  pictures  in  it.  One  of  these  Indians 
was  Pulowech,  the  Partridge  in  the  Micmac  tongue, 
but  who  is  called  by  the  Passamaquoddy  Mitchihess ; 
but  the  other  was  Wejek  (M.),  the  Tree  Partridge. 

Now  it  befell  that  one  day  Pulowech  was  walking 
along  the  shore,  when  it  was  winter,  and  he  beheld 
three  girls,  fair  and  fine,  with  flowing  hair,  sitting  on 
the  ice  braiding  their  locks.  Then  he  knew  that  they 
were  of  the  fairy  kind,  who  dwell  in  the  water ;  and, 
verily,  these  were  plentier  of  old  than  they  are  now, 
—  to  our  sorrow  be  it  said,  for  they  were  good  com 
pany  for  the  one  who  could  get  them.  And  Pulowech, 
knowing  this,  said,  "  I  will  essay  this  thing,  and  per 
chance  I  may  catch  one  or  two  of  them  ;  which  will 
be  a  great  comfort,  for  a  pretty  girl  is  a  nice  thing 
to  have  about  the  wigwam."  So  he  sought  to  secure 
them  by  stealing  softly  along  ;  but  one  cried,  "  Ne 
miha  skedap  !  "  "  I  see  a  man !  "  P.,  and  they  all 
went  head  over  heels,  first  best  time,  into  the  water ; 


282  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

and  verily  that  was  a  cold  duck  for  December  in  the 
Bay  of  Fundy. 

But  though  Pulowech  had  never  hunted  for  sea- 
girls,  yet  he  had  fished  for  seals,  who  are  greatly  akin 
unto  them,  being  almost  as  slippery ;  and  wotting  well 
that  no  man  hath  the  mitten  till  he  is  refused  thirty 
times  and  many  more,  he  went  about  it  in  another 
wise.  For  this  time  he  gat  many  fir  boughs,  strewing 
them  about  as  if  blown  by  the  wind,  and  hiding  him 
self  behind  them,  again  came  up  and  made  a  sudden 
dart.  Then  the  maids,  crying  as  before,  "  JVe  mika 
skedap  !  "  "  I  see  a  man !  "  went  with  a  dive  into  the 
deep.  But  this  time  he  caught,  if  not  the  hair,  at 
least  the  hair-string,  of  the  fairest,  which  remained  in 
his  hand.  And,  gazing  on  this,  it  came  into  his  mind 
that  he  had  got  that  which  was  her  charm,  or  life, 
and  that  she  could  not  live  without  it,1  or  her  cher 
ished  saJcultobee  (M.).  And  taking  it  home,  he  tied 
it  to  the  place  in  the  wigwam  above  that  wherein  he 
slept.  Nor  had  he  waited  long  before  she  came,  and, 
with  little  ado,  remained  with  him  as  his  wife. 

Now  Pulowech,  being  himself  addicted  to  sorcer}^ 
knew  that  there  were  divers  knaves  of  the  same  stamp 
prowling  about  the  woods,  who  wculd  make  short  work 
of  a  wife  if  they  could  find  a  plump  young  one  in 
the  way,  —  they  being  robbers,  ravishers,  and  canni 
bals  withal.  Therefore  he  warned  his  bride  to  keep 
well  within  doors  when  he  was  away,  and  to  open  to 

1  The  magic  hair-string  plays  a  part  in  many  of  these  tales. 
It  belongs  to  the  sorcery  of  all  the  world  in  all  ages. 


THE  PARTRIDGE.  283 

none,  which  she,  poor  soul,  meant  to  obey  with  all  her 
might.  But  being  alone  at  midnight,  and  hearing  a 
call  outside, even  "Pantakdooe!  "  M.,  "Open  the  door 
to  me !  "  she  wondered  greatly  who  it  might  be.  And 
it  was  a  very  wicked  wizard,  a  boo-din,  or  pow-wow ; 
and  he,  being  subtle  and  crafty,  and  knowing  of  her 
family,  so  imitated  the  voices  of  her  brothers  and 
sisters,  beseeching  her  to  let  them  in,  that  her  very 
heart  ached.  "  O  sister,  we  have  come  from  afar !  " 
they  cried.  "  We  missed  you,  and  have  followed  you. 
Let  us  in  !  "  And  yet  again  she  heard  a  sad  and  very 
earnest  voice,  and  it  was  that  of  her  old  mother,  cry 
ing,  "  N'toos\  rftoos\pantahdooel"  M.,  "My  daugh 
ter  !  my  daughter !  open  unto  me  !  "  and  she  verily 
wist  that  it  must  be  so.  But  when  she  heard  the 
voice  of  her  dear  old  father,  shaking  and  saying, 
"  Pantahdooe  loke  cyowchee!"  "  Open  the  door,  for  I 
am  very  cold  !  "  she  could  resist  no  more,  and,  spring 
ing  up,  opened  it  to  those  who  were  without.  And 
then  the  evil  sorcerers,  springing  on  her  like  mad 
wolves,  dragged  her  away  and  devoured  her.  They 
did  not  leave  two  of  her  little  bones  one  with  an 
other.1 

Now  when  Wejek,  the  Tree  Partridge,  came  in  and 
found  his  friend's  wife  gone,  he  was  so  angry  that, 
without  waiting,  he  set  forth  to  seek  her.  And  this 

1  This  Indian  Little  Red  Riding-Hood  story  is  very  effective. 
The  wolfish  sorcerers  bursting  in  at  midnight  are  even  more  ter 
rible,  from  a  nursery  melodramatic  point,  than  the  old  wolf  in 
bed. 


284      THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

was  not  wisely  done,  since,  falling  among  them,  he 
was  himself  slain.  Then  Pulowech,  returning  last  of 
all,  and  finding  no  one,  sought  by  means  of  magic  to 
know  where  friend  and  wife  might  be.  For  taking  a 
woltes,  or  a  wooden  dish,  he  rilled  it  with  water,  and 
charmed  it  with  a  spell,  and  placed  it  in  the  back 
part  of  his  wigwam,  just  opposite  the  door.  So  he 
laid  him  down  to  sleep,  and  in  the  morning  when  he 
arose  he  looked  upon  the  dish,  —  even  the  dish  of 
divination,  —  and  lo !  it  was  half  full  of  blood.  Then 
he  knew  that  the  twain  had  been  murdered. 

Then  gathering  all  his  arms,  he  went  forth  for 
revenge,  and  passed  many  days  on  the  path,  tracking 
the  boo-oin ;  and  having  the  eyesight  of  sorcery, 
he  one  day  beheld  very  far  away,  upon  an  exceeding 
high  cliff,  the  knee  of  a  man  sticking  out  of  the  stone, 
and  knew  that  a  sorcerer  had  hidden  himself  in  the 
solid  rock,  even  as  a  child  might  hide  itself  in  a  pile 
of  feathers.  Then  throwing  his  tomahawk  he  cut 
away  the  knee,  and  the  boo-oin,  his  spell  broken, 
remained  hard  and  fast  forever  in  the  ledge.  And 
yet,  anon,  a  little  further  on,  he  saw  a  foot  projecting 
from  a  wall,  and  this  he  likewise  cut  off,  and  with  that 
he  had  slain  two. 

And  as  he  went  further  he  found  by  the  way  a  poor 
little  squirrel,  even  Meeko,  who  was  crawling  along, 
half  dead,  in  sorry  plight.  And  taking  her  up  he 
made  her  well,  and  placing  her  in  his  bosom,  said, 
"  Eest  there  yet  a  while,  Meeko,  for  thou  must  fight 
to-day,  and  that  fiercely.  Yet  fear  not,  for  I  will 


THE  PARTRIDGE.  285 

stand  by  thee,  and  when  I  tap  thy  back,  then  shalt 
thou  bring  forth  thy  young !  " 

Then  going  ever  on,  he  saw  from  the  mountains 
far  in  a  lake  below  a  flock  of  wild  geese  sporting 
merrily,  even  the  Senum-kwak\  But  he  wist  right 
well  that  these  also  were  of  the  boo-din,  whom  ha 
sought,  and  placing  a  spell  on  his  bow,  and  singing  a 
charm  over  his  arrows  that  they  should  not  miss,  he 
slew  the  wild  fowl  one  by  one,  and  tying  their  heads 
together,  he  carried  them  in  a  bunch  upon  his  back. 
And  truly  he  deemed  it  a  good  bag  of  game  for  one 
day. 

And  yet  further  on  he  came  to  a  wigwam,  and 
entering  it  saw  a  man  there  seated,  whom  he  knew  at 
once  was  of  the  enemy.  For  he  who  sat  there  glared 
at  him  grimly  ;  he  did  not  say  to  him,  "  "Kutakumoog- 
wal !  "  "  Come  higher  up ! "  as  they  do  who  are  hospi 
table.  But  having  cooked  some  meat,  and  given  it  in 
a  dish  to  Pulowech's  hand,  he  snatched  it  back  again, 
and  said  he  would  sooner  give  it  to  his  dog.  And  this 
he  did  more  than  once,  saying  the  same  thing.  But 
Pulowech  kept  quiet.  Then  the  rude  man  said,  "  Hast 
thou  met  with  aught  to-day,  thou  knave  ?  "  And  the 
guest  replied,  "  Truly  I  saw  a  fellow's  knee  sticking 
out  of  a  stone,  and  I  cut  it  off.  And  yet,  anon,  I  saw 
a  foot  coming  from  a  rock,  and  this  I  also  chopped. 
And  further  on  there  was  a  flock  of  wild  geese,  and 
them  I  slew ;  there  was  not  one  left,  —  no,  not  one. 
And  if  you  will  look  without  there  you  may  see  them 
all  dead,  and  much  good  may  it  do  you  !  " 


286      THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Then  the  savage  sorcerer  burst  forth  in  all  his  rage  i 
"  Come  on,  then,  our  dogs  must  fight  this  out ! " 
"  Thou  sayest  well,"  replied  Pulowech ;  "  truly  I  am 
fond  of  a  good  dog-fight,  so  bring  out  thy  pup !  " 
And  that  which  the  man  brought  forth  was  terrible ; 
for  it  was  no  dog,  but  a  hideous  savage  beast,  known 
to  Micmacs  as  the  Weisum.1 

But  that  which  Pulowech  produced  was  quite  as 
different  from  a  dog  as  was  the  Weisum ;  for  it  was 
only  Meeko,  a  poor  little  squirrel,  and  half  dead  at 
that,  which  he  laid  carefully  before  the  fire  that  it 
might  revive.2  But  anon  it  began  to  revive,  and 
grew  until  it  was  well-nigh  as  great  as  the  Weisum. 
And  then  there  was  indeed  a  battle  as  of  devils  and 
witches ;  he  who  had  been  a  hundred  miles  away 
might  have  heard  it. 

But  anon  it  seemed  that  the  Weisum  was  getting 
the  better  of  Meeko.  Then  Pulowech  did  but  tap  the 
squirrel  on  the  back,  when  lo  !  she  brought  forth  two 
other  squirrels,  and  these  grew  in  an  instant  to  be  as 
large  as  their  mother,  and  the  three  were  soon  too 
many  for  the  beast.  "  Ho !  call  off  your  dogs ! " 
cried  the  boo-oin ;  "you  have  beaten.  But  spare  mine, 
since,  indeed,  he  does  not  belong  to  me,  but  to  my 
grandmother,  who  is  very  fond  of  him." ;  But  this 

1  The  Amarok  of  the  Eskimo. 

2  In  another  version  of  this  story,  the  savage  stranger  puts 
up  a  real  dog  against  the  squirrel  ;  and  in  the  story  of  Glooskap, 
it  is  that  great  man  who  makes  the  squirrel  great  or  small. 

3  This   trivial   episode  of   begging  a  call-off   seems   to  have 


THE  PARTRIDGE.  287 

Pulowech,  who  held  to  his  own  in  all  things  like 
a  wolverine,  was  the  last  man  alive  to  think  of,  and 
he  encouraged  the  squirrels  until  they  had  torn  the 
Weisum  to  rags. 

Then  he  who  had  staked  it,  bitterly  lamented,  say 
ing,  "  Alack,  my  poor  grandmother !  Alas,  how  she 
will  wail  when  she  hears  that  her  Weisum  is  dead ! 
Woe  the  day  that  ever  I  did  put  him  up  !  Alas,  my 
grandmother ! "  For  all  which  the  cruel  Pulowech, 
the  hard-hearted,  impenitent  Partridge,  did  not  care 
the  hair  of  a  dead  musk-rat. 

Now  the  host,  who  had  thus  suddenly  grown  so 
tender-hearted,  said,  "  Let  us  sail  forth  upon  the  river 
in  a  canoe."  Then  they  were  soon  on  the  stream,  and 
rushing  down  a  rapid  like  a  dart.  And  anon  they 
came  to  a  terribly  high  cliff,  in  which  there  was  a 
narrow  cavern  into  which  the  river  ran.  And  on  it, 
thundering  through  this  door  of  death,  borne  on  a 
boiling  surge,  the  bark  was  forced  furiously  into 
darkness.  And  Pulowech  sat  firmly  in  his  seat,  and 
steered  the  boat  with  steady,  certain  hand ;  but  just  as 
he  entered  the  horrible  hole,  glancing  around,  he  saw 
the  sorcerer  leap  ashore.  For  the  evil  man,  believing 
that  no  one  had  ever  come  alive  out  of  the  cavern,  had 
betrayed  him  into  it. 

Yet  ever  cool  and  calm  the  mighty  man  went  on, 
for  danger  now  was  bringing  out  all  the  force  of  his 

deeply  impressed  the  Indians,  who  are  generally  sporting-men, 
since  I  find  it  in  both  the  Passainaquoddy  aud  Micmac  versions 
of  the  legend. 


288  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

magic  ; 1  and  soon  the  stream  grew  smoother,  the  rocks 
disappeared  from  its  bed,  and  then  from  afar  there 
was  a  brightness,  and  he  was  soon  in  the  daylight 
and  sunshine  on  a  beautiful  stream,  and  by  the  banks 
thereof  there  grew  the  wabeyu-beskwan,  or  water- 
lilies,  and  very  pleasant  it  was  to  him  to  feel  the  wind 
again.  So  using  his  paddle  lie  saw  a  smoke  rising 
from  a  cave  in  the  rocks,  and  landing  and  softly 
stepping  up  heard  talking  within. 

Nor  had  he  listened  long  ere  he  knew  the  voice  of 
the  man  who  had  lured  him  into  the  canoe,  and  he 
was  telling  his  grandmother  how,  one  after  the  other, 
all  the  best  boo-oin  of  their  band  had  been  slain  by 
a  mighty  sorcerer.  But  when  she  heard  from  him 
how  her  beloved,  or  the  one  who  had  inspired  the 
Weisum,  had  been  beaten,  her  wrath  burst  forth  in  a 
storm,  like  the  raving  of  devils,  like  a  mad  wind  on 
the  waves.  And  she  said,  "  If  Pulowech  were  but  be 
fore  me,  were  he  but  alive,  I  would  roast  him."  The 
man,  hearing  this,  cried,  "  Aye  ;  but  he  is  not  alive, 
for  I  sent  him  afloat  down  into  the  dark  cavern  ! " 

And  then  Pulowech,  stepping  in  before  them,  said, 
"  And  yet  I  am  alive.  And  do  thou,  woman,  bak  sole 
boksooc!"  (roast  me  to  death).  Then  she  scowled 
horribly  at  him,  but  said  naught ;  and  he,  sitting 
down,  looked  at  them. 

1  It  is  very  characteristic  of  the  heroes  of  these  Indian  tales 
that  they  gradually  unfold  or  develop  from  small  characteristics 
to  very  great  ones.  There  is  a  lesson  in  this,  and  it  has  been 
perfectly  appreciated  by  poets  and  similar  sorcerers. 


THE  PARTRIDGE.  289 

This  woman  was  of  the  Porcupines,  who  are  never 
long  without  raising  their  quills,  and  they  are  fond  of 
heat.  Now  there  was  in  the  cave  much  hemlock  bark, 
and  this  she  began  to  heap  on  the  fire.  Then  it  blazed, 
it  crackled  and  roared ;  but  Pulowech  sat  still,  and 
said  naught,  neither  did  his  eyes  change.  And  he 
called  unto  himself  all  his  might,  the  might  of  his 
magic  did  he  awaken,  and  the  spirit  came  unto  him 
very  terribly,  so  that  all  the  boo-oin^  with  their  vile 
black  witchcraft,  were  but  as  worms  before  him,  the 
Great  and  Terrible  One.  And  when  the  fire  had 
burned  low  he  brought  in  by  his  will  great  store  of 
bark,  so  that  the  whole  cave  was  filled,  and  closing  the 
door  he  lighted  the  fuel.  Then  the  Porcupines,  who 
were  those  who  had  slain  his  wife  and  friend,  howled 
for  mercy,  but  he  was  deaf  as  a  stone  to  their  cries. 
Then  the  roof  and  sides  of  the  cavern  cracked  with  the 
heat,  the  red-hot  stones  fell  in  heavy  blocks,  the  red 
flames  rose  in  the  thickest  smoke,  but  Pulowech  sat 
and  sang  his  song  until  the  witch  and  wizard  were 
burned  to  cinders  ;  yea,  till  their  white  bones  crumbled 
to  ashes  beneath  his  feet.  And  then  he  arose  and 
went  unto  his  home.1 

1  In  this  Micmac  legend,  which  is  plainly  a  poem,  there  is  one 
very  striking  and  original  element  in  the  art  with  which  the 
great  knowledge  and  power  of  Pulowech  are  kept  out  of  sight 
until  towards  the  final  unfolding.  When  he  picks  up  the  Squirrel 
it  is  with  a  full  comprehension  that  he  will  be  confronted  with 
the  Weisum.  From  the  beginning  to  the  end,  he  is  master  of  the 
situation ;  all  goes  on  with  him  like  the  unfolding  of  Fate  in  a 
19 


290      THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

In  this  legend  the  hero  passes  the  mysterious  river 
which  separates  in  several  Indian  tales  the  ordinary 
world  from  that  where  the  evil  giants,  Jotuns,  sor 
cerers,  or  witches  live.  It  appears  to  correspond  ex 
actly  to  "  the  stream  called  Ifiiig,  which  divides  the 
earth  between  the  Jotuns  and  the  Gods."  (Edda, 
Vafthrudnismal,  16.)  The  attempt  by  the  Porcupine 
host  to  roast  the  guest  alive  and  its  failure  bears  a 
marked  likeness  to  the  scene  in  the  Grimnismal,  in 
which  King  Geirrod  vainly  strives  to  roast  his  guest, 
Odin,  and  is  himself  slain. 

"Fire,  thou  art  hot, 
and  much  too  great ; 
flame,  let  us  separate." 

The  grandeur  of  Odin  and  the  behavior  of  the  In 
dian  are  set  forth  in  a  strikingly  similar  manner  in 
both  narratives.  If  any  modern  poet  had  depicted 
this  incident  in  so  like  a  style,  every  critic  would 
have  cried  out  plagiarism ! 

The  Story  of  a  Partridge  and  his  Wonderful  Wigwam. 

Once  a  man  was  traveling  through  the  woods,  and 
he  heard  afar  off  a  sound  as  of  footsteps  beating  the 
ground.  So  he  sought  to  find  the  people  that  made 
it,  and  went  on  for  a  full  week  ere  he  came  to  them. 
And  it  was  a  man  and  his  wife  dancing  about  a  tree, 
in  the  top  of  which  was  a  Raccoon.  They  had,  by  their 

Greek  tragedy,  until  the  end,  when,  stern  and  unpitying,  he  sits 
in  the  cavern  of  fire  and  sees  his  enemies  roasted  alive  before 
him.  —  From  the  Rand  Manuscript. 


THE  PARTRIDGE.  291 

constant  treading,  worn  a  trench  in  the  ground ;  in 
deed,  they  were  in  it  up  to  their  waists.1  Then,  being 
asked  why  they  did  this  strange  thing,  they  answered 
that,  being  hungry,  they  were  trying  to  dance  down 
the  tree  to  catch  the  Raccoon. 

Then  the  man  who  had  come  said,  "  Truly  there  is 
a  newer  and  better  way  of  felling  trees,  which  has 
lately  come  into  the  land."  As  they  wished  to  know 
what  this  might  be,  he  showed  them  how  to  cut  it 
down,  and  did  so  ;  making  it  a  condition  that  if  they 
got  the  game  they  might  have  the  meat  and  he  should 
get  the  skin.  .  So  when  the  tree  fell  they  caught  the 
animal,  and  the  woman,  having  tanned  the  skin,  gave 
it  to  the  man,  and  he  went  his  way. 

And  being  afar,  in  a  path  in  the  forest,  he  met  an 
other  man,  and  was  greatly  amazed  at  him  because  he 
was  bearing  on  his  head  a  house,  or  a  large  birch  wig 
wam  of  many  rooms.  He  was  frightened  at  first  at 
such  a  sight,  but  the  man,  putting  down  his  house, 
shook  hands  with  him,  and  seemed  to  be  a  right  hon 
est  good  fellow.  Then  while  they  smoked  and  talked, 
the  Man  of  the  House,  seeing  the  skin  of  Hespu.is, 
or  that  of  the  Raccoon,  in  the  other's  belt,  said, 
"  Well,  that  is  a  fine  pelt !  Where  did  you  get  it, 
brother  ?  "  And  he,  answering,  told  all  the  story  of 
the  Dancing  Man  and  Wife ;  whereupon  he  of  the 

1  To  dance  away  the  ground,  or  walk  knee-deep  in  it,  was 
characteristic  of  wizards.  So  was  the  hearing  of  any  sound  at 
an  apparently  incredible  distance.  To  an  Indian  mind  this  tale 
is  weird  and  wonderful  from  the  first  words  thereof. 


292  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

House  became  mightily  anxious  to  buy  it,  offering 
one  thing  after  another  for  it,  and  at  last  the  House, 
which  was  accepted.  And,  examining  it,  the  buyer 
was  amazed  to  find  how  many  rooms  it  contained, 
and  how  full  it  was  of  good  furniture.  "  Truly," 
said  he,  "  I  can  never  carry  this  as  you  do  !  "  "  Yes, 
you  can,"  replied  the  Pil-wee-mon-soo-in  (P.,  one  who 
belongs  somewhere  else,  —  a  stranger).  "  Do  but  try 
it !  "  So  he  essayed  and  lifted  it  easily,  for  he  found 
it  as  light  as  any  bassinode  or  basket. 

So  they  parted  and  he  went  on  carrying  his  cabin 
till  night-fall,  when  coming  to  a  hard-wood  ridge,  near 
a  good  spring  of  water,  he  resolved  to  settle  there.1 
And,  searching,  he  found  a  room  in  which  there  was  a 
very  fine  bed,  covered  with  a  white  bear-skin.^  And 
as  it  was  very  soft,  and  ho  was  very  weary,  he  slept 
well. 

In  the  morning,  when  he  awoke,  what  was  his  aston 
ishment  and  delight  to  see  above  him,  hanging  to  the 
beams,  all  kinds  of  nice  provisions, —  venison,  hams, 
ducks,  baskets  of  berries  and  of  maple-sugar,  with 
many  ears  of  Indian  corn.  And  as  he,  in  his  joy, 
stretched  out  his  arms  and  made  a  jump  towards  all 
these  dainties,  behold  the  white  bear-skin  melted  and 
ran  away,  for  it  was  the  snow  of  winter  ;  and  his  arms 

1  A  hard-wood  ridge  ;  that  is,  where  there  is  plenty  of  birch, 
ash,  and  such  trees  as  are  necessary  for  baskets,  dishes,  canoes, 
and  other  Indian  wants.     Hence  it  is  mentioned  in  many  tales  as 
a  desirable  place  to  live. 

2  A  sure  indication  of  sorcery. 


THE  PARTRIDGE.  293 

spread  forth  into  wings,  and  he  flew  up  to  the  food, 
which  was  the  early  buds  of  the  birch,  on  which  they 
hung.1  And  he  was  a  Partridge,  who  after  the  man 
ner  of  his  kind  had  been  wintering  under  a  snow 
drift,  and  now  came  forth  to  greet  the  pleasant  spring. 

How  the  Partridge  built  Good  Canoes  for  all  the  Birds, 
and  a  Bad  One  for  Himself. 

When  a  partridge  beats  upon  a  hollow  log  he 
makes  a  noise  like  an  Indian  at  work  upon  a  canoe, 
and  when  an  Indian  taps  at  a  canoe  it  sounds  afar 
off  like  the  drumming  of  a  partridge,  even  of  Mitchi- 
hess.  And  this  comes  because  that  N^karnayoo,  of 
ancient  days,  the  Partridge,  was  the  canoe-builder  for 
all  the  other  birds.  Yes,  for  all  at  once. 

And  on  a  certain  day  they  every  one  assembled,  and 
each  got  into  his  bark,  and  truly  it  was  a  brave  sight 
to  see.  First  of  all  Kicheeplagon,  the  Eagle,  entered 
his  great  shell  and  paddled  off,  using  the  ends  of  his 
wings  ;  and  then  came  J£o-ko-kas,  the  Owl,  doing  the 
same ;  and  JfosqiC,  the  Crane,  Wee-sow-wee-Jiessis, 
the  Bluebird,  Tjidge-is-skwess,  the  Snipe,  and  Meg- 
sweit-tcMp-siS)  the  Blackbird,  all  came  sailing  proudly 
after.  Even  the  tiny  A-la-Mussit,  the  Humming-Bird, 
had  a  dear  little  boat,  and  for  him  the  good  Par 
tridge  had  made  a  pretty  little  paddle,  only  that  some 

1  Birch  buds  are  the  food  of  the  partridge.  The  unexpected 
ending  of  this  tale  signifies  the  sudden  return  of  spring.  As 
told  by  an  Indian,  it  is  very  effective.  This  talc  was  told  me  by 
Tomah  Josephs. 


294  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

thought  it  rather  large,  for  it  was  almost  an  inch  long. 
And  Ishmegwess,  the  Fish-Hawk,  who  lived  on  the 
wing,  cried  in  amazement,  "  Akweden  skouje  !  "  "  A 
canoe  is  coming !  "  when  he  beheld  this  beautiful 
squadron  standing  out  to  sea. 

But  when  Mitchihess,  the  great  builder,  was  asked 
why  he  had  not  built  a  canoe  for  himself,  he  merely 
looked  mysterious  and  drummed.  And  being  further 
questioned  by  the  birds,  he  shook  his  head,  and  at  last 
hinted  that  when  he  built  a  canoe  unto  himself  it 
would  be  indeed  a  marvel ;  yea,  a  wonder  such  as  even 
birds'  eyes  had  never  beheld,  —  an  entire  novelty,  and 
something  to  dream  of.  And  this  went  on  for  many 
days. 

But  in  due  time  it  was  noised  abroad  that  the 
wonderful  canoe  had  at  last  been  really  built,  and 
would  soon  be  shown.  And  at  an  appointed  time  all 
the  birds  assembled  on  the  banks  to  behold  this  new 
thing.  Now  the  Partridge  had  reasoned  that  if  a 
boat  having  two  ends  could  be  rowed  in  two  ways,  one 
which  was  all  ends,  all  round,  could  be  rowed  in  every 
way.  So  he  had  made  a  canoe  which  was  exactly  like 
a  nest,  or  perfectly  round.  And  this  idea  had  greatly 
amazed  the  honest  feathered  folk,  who  were  astonished 
that  so  simple  a  thing  had  not  occurred  to  all  of  them. 

But  what  was  their  wonder  when  Partridge,  having 
entered  his  canoe  and  proceeded  to  paddle,  made  no 
headway  at  all ;  for  it  simply  turned  round  and  round, 
and  ever  and  again  the  same  way,  let  him  work  it  as 
he  would.  And  after  wearying  himself  and  all  in 


THE  PARTRIDGE.  295 

vain,  he  went  ashore,  and,  flying  far  inland,  hid  him 
self  for  very  shame  under  the  low  bushes,  on  the 
earth,  where  he  yet  remains.  This  is  the  reason  why 
he  never  seeks  the  sea  or  rivers,  and  has  ever  since 
remained  an  inland  bird.1 

The  Mournful  Mystery  of  the  Partridge-  Witch ;  setting 
forth  how  a  Young  Man  died  from  Love. 

Of  the  olden  time.  Two  brothers  went  hunting  in 
the  autumn,  and  that  as  far  as  the  head  waters  of  the 
Penobscot,  where  they  remained  all  winter.  But  in 
March  their  snow-shoes  (agahmook,  P.)  gave  out,  as 
did  their  moccasins,  and  they  wished  that  a  woman 
were  there  to  mend  them. 

When  the  younger  brother  returned  first  to  the 
lodge,  the  next  day,  —  which  he  generally  did,  to  get  it 
ready  for  the  elder,  —  he  was  astonished  to  find  that 
some  one  had  been  there  before  him,  and  that,  too,  in 
the  housekeeping.  For  garments  had  been  mended, 
the  place  cleaned  and  swept,  a  fire  built,  and  the  pot 
was  boiling.  He  said  nothing  of  this  to  his  brother ; 

1  Having  met  Mr.  Louis  Mitchell,  the  Indian  member  of  the 
legislature  in  Maine,  one  day  in  Eastport,  I  asked  him  to  occupy 
the  few  minutes  which  would  pass  before  I  should  take  the 
steamboat  for  Calais  by  telling  me  a  story.  He  complied  by 
narrating  the  foregoing.  It  is  very  remarkable  that  the  Indian 
story-tellers  of  ancient  days  should  have  taken  it  into  their 
heads  to  satirize  an  idea  which  has  been  of  late  carried  out 
completely  by  the  Russian  Admiral  Popoff,  in  his  celebrated 
circular  war  steamer.  The  story  and  all  the  Indian  words  in  it 
are  Passarnaquoddy. 


296  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

but  returning  the  next  day  at  the  same  time,  found 
that  all  had  been  attended  to,  as  at  first.  And  again 
ho  said  nothing  ;  but  in  the  morning,  when  he  went 
forth  to  hunt,  he  did  but  go  a  little  way,  and,  return 
ing,  watched,  from  a  hidden  place,  the  door.  And 
there  came  a  beautiful  and  graceful  girl,  well  attired, 
v/ho  entered  the  wigwam.  And  he,  stepping  softly, 
looking  through  a  hole  in  the  hut,  saw  her  very  busy 
with  his  housekeeping. 

Then  he  entered,  and  she  seemed  to  be  greatly 
alarmed  and  confused ;  but  he  calmed  her,  and  they 
soon  became  good  friends,  sporting  together  very  hap 
pily  all  day  long  like  children,  for  indeed  they  were 
both  young. 

When  the  sun's  height  was  little  and  his  shadows 
long,  the  girl  said,  "I  must  go  now.  I  hear  your 
brother  coming,  and  I  fear  him.  But  I  will  return 
to-morrow.  Addio  /  "  So  she  went,  and  the  elder 
brother  knew  nothing  of  what  had  happened.  The 
next  day  she  came  again,  and  once  more  they  played 
in  sunshine  and  shadow  until  evening ;  but  ere  she 
went  he  sought  to  persuade  her  to  remain  always. 
And  she,  as  if  in  doubt,  answered,  "  Tell  thy  brother 
all,  and  it  may  be  that  I  will  stay  and  serve  ye  both. 
For  I  can  make  the  snow-shoes  and  moccasins  which 
ye  so  much  need,  and  also  canoes."  Then  she  de 
parted  with  the  day,  and  the  elder,  returning,  heard 
from  his  brother  all  that  had  happened,  and  said, 
"Truly  I  should  be  glad  to  have  some  one  here  to 
take  care  of  the  wigwam  and  make  snow-shoes." 


THE  PARTRIDGE.  297 

So  she  came  in  the  morning,  and  hearing  from  the 
younger  that  his  brother  had  consented  to  her  coming 
was  very  glad,  and  went  away,  as  in  haste.  But  she 
returned  about  noon,  drawing  a  tdboggin  (sled)  piled 
up  with  garments  and  arms,  for  she  was  a  huntress. 
Indeed,  she  could  do  all  things  as  few  women  could, 
whether  it  were  cooking,  needle-work,  or  making  all 
that  men  need.  And  the  winter  passed  very  pleas 
antly,  until  the  snow  grew  soft,  and  it  was  time  for 
them  to  return.  Till  she  came  they  had  little  luck 
in  hunting,  but  since  her  coming  all  had  gone  well 
with  them,  and  they  now  had  a  wonderful  quantity  of 
furs. 

Then  they  returned  in  a  canoe,  going  down  the  river 
to  their  village.  But  as  they  came  near  it  the  girl 
grew  sad,  for  she  had  thrown  out  her  soul  to  their 
home,  though  they  knew  it  not,  by  meel alibi -give.1 
And  suddenly  she  said,  as  they  came  to  a  point  of 
land,  "  Here  I  must  leave.  I  can  go  no  further.  Say 
nothing  of  me  to  your  parents,  for  your  father  would 
have  but  little  love  for  me."  And  the  young  men 
sought  to  persuade  her,  but  she  only  answered  sorrow 
fully,  "  It  cannot  be."  So  they  came  home  with  their 
furs,  and  the  elder  was  so  proud  of  their  luck  and 
their  strange  adventure  tliat  he  could  not  hold  his 
peace,  but  told  all. 

Then  his  father  was  very  angry,  and  said,  "  All  my 
life  have  I  feared  this.  Know  that  this  woman  was  a 
devil  of  the  woods,  a  witch  of  the  Mitche-hant,  a  sister 
1  Passamaquoddy  :  Clairvoyance,  or  state  of  vision. 


298      THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

of  the  Oonahganicss  1  and  of  the  Krftaliks"  And  he 
spoke  so  earnestly  and  so  long  of  this  thing  that  they 
were  afraid,  and  the  elder,  being  persuaded  by  the 
sire,  went  forth  to  slay  her,  and  the  younger  followed 
him  afar.  So  they  sought  her  by  the  stream,  and 
found  her  bathing,  and,  seeing  them,  she  ran  up  a  lit 
tle  hill.  And,  as  she  ran,  the  elder  shot  an  arrow  at 
her.  Then  there  was  a  strange  flurry  about  her,  a 
fluttering  of  scattered  feathers,  and  they  saw  her  fly 
away  as  a  partridge.  Returning,  they  told  all  this  to 
their  father,  who  said,  "  You  did  well.  I  know  all 
about  these  female  devils  who  seek  to  destroy  men. 
Verily  this  was  a  she  Mikumwess."  2 

But  the  younger  could  not  forget  her,  and  longed  to 
see  her  again  ;  so  one  day  he  went  into  the  woods,  and 
there  he  indeed  found  her,  and  she  was  as  kind  as  be 
fore.  Then  he  said,  "  Truly  it  was  not  by  my  good 
will  that  my  brother  shot  at  you."  And  she  an 
swered,  "  Well  do  I  know  that,  and  that  it  was  all  by 
your  father ;  yet  I  blame  him  not,  for  this  is  an  affair 
of  N'karnayoo,  the  days  of  old ;  and  even  yet  it  is  not 
at  an  end,  and  the  greatest  is  to  come.  But  let  the  day 
be  only  a  day  unto  itself ;  the  things  of  to-morrow  are 
for  to-morrow,  and  those  of  yesterday  are  departed." 
So  they  forgot  their  troubles,  and  played  together  mer 
rily  all  day  long  in  the  woods  and  in  the  open  places, 
and  told  stories  of  old  times  till  sunset.  And  as  the 

1  P.     Goblins  and  ghosts. 

2  P.     The    Mikumwess   is   a   Robin   Goodfellow,    who  plays 
pranks  on  people,  or  treats  them  kindly,  according  to  his  caprice. 


THE  PARTRIDGE.  299 

Kah-kah-goos,  or  Crow,  went  to  his  tree,  the  boy  said, 
"  I  must  return  ;  "  and  she  replied,  u  Whenever  you 
would  see  me,  come  to  the  woods.  And  remember 
what  I  say.  Do  not  marry  any  one  else.  For  your 
father  wishes  you  to  do  so,  and  he  will  speak  of  it  to 
you,  and  that  soon.  Yet  it  is  for  your  sake  only  that 
I  say  this."  Then  she  told  him  word  by  word  all  that 
his  father  had  said;  but  he  was  not  astonished,  for 
now  he  knew  that  she  was  not  as  other  women  ;  but  he 
cared  not.  And  he  grew  brave  and  bold,  and  then  he 
was  above  all  things.  And  when  she  told  him  that  if 
he  should  marry  another  he  would  surely  die,  it  was 
as  nothing  to  him. 

Then  returning,  the  first  thing  his  father  said  was, 
"  My  son,  I  have  provided  a  wife  for  you,  and  the 
wedding  must  be  at  once."  And  he  said,  "  It  is  well. 
Let  it  be  so."  Then  the  bride  came.  For  four  days 
they  held  the  wedding  dance ;  four  days  they  feasted. 
But  on  the  last  day  he  said,  "This  is  the  end  of  it 
all,"  and  he  laid  him  down  on  a  white  bear-skin,  and  a 
great  sickness  came  upon  him,  and  when  they  brought 
the  bride  to  him  he  was  dead. 

Truly  the  father  knew  what  ailed  him,  and  more 
withal,  of  which  he  said  nothing.  But  he  liked  the 
place  no  longer,  and  he  and  his  went  away  therefrom, 
and  scattered  far  and  wide. 

This  strange  story  recalls  the  Undine  of  La  Motte 
Fouqud.  There  is  in  it  an  element  of  mystery  and 
destiny,  equal  in  every  way  to  anything  in  German 


300  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

literature.  The  family  secret,  touched  on  but  never 
explained,  which  ends  in  such  a  death,  is,  speaking 
from  an  artistic  point  of  view,  very  skillfully  man 
aged.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  in  this,  as  in 
most  of  these  tales,  there  are  associations  and  chords 
which  make  as  gold  to  an  Indian  that  which  is  only 
copper,  or  at  best  silver,  to  the  civilized  reader  of  my 
translations. 

There  is  a  characteristic  feature  of  this  story  supe 
rior  to  anything  in  Undine.  It  is  the  growth  in  the 
hero,  when  he  knows  the  worst  to  come,  of  that  will, 
or  stoicism,  or  complete  indifference  to  fate,  which  the 
Indians  regard  as  equivalent  to  attaining  m't£oulin, 
or  magic  power.  When  a  man  has  in  him  such  cour 
age  that  nothing  earthly  can  do  more  than  increase  it, 
he  has  attained  to  what  is  in  one  sense  at  least  Nir 
vana.  From  an  Algonquin  point  of  view  the  plot  is 
perfect. 

I  have  given  this  story  accurately  as  it  was  told  to 
me  by  Tomah  Josephs,  a  Passamaquoddy  Indian. 

Hoiv  one  of  the  Partridge's  Wives  became  a  Sheldrake 
Duck,  and  why  her  Feet  and  Feathers  are  Red. 

N'karnayoo,  of  the  old  time,  there  was  a  hunter 
who  lived  in  the  woods.  He  had  a  brother,1  who  was 
so  small  that  he  kept  him  in  a  box,  and  when  he  went 

1  The  word  brother  is  so  generally  applied  in  adoption  or 
friendship  that  it  cannot  here  be  taken  in  a  literal  sense.  The 
brother  in  this  case  seems  to  have  been  a  goblin  or  spirit. 


THE  PARTRIDGE.  301 

forth  he  closed  this  very  carefully,  for  fear  lest  an  evil 
spirit  (Mitche-hant)  should  get  him. 

One  day  this  hunter,  returning,  saw  a  very  beautiful 
girl  sitting  on  a  rock  by  a  river,  making  a  moccasin. 
And  being  in  a  canoe  he  paddled  up  softly  and  si 
lently  to  capture  her ;  but  she,  seeing  him  coming, 
jumped  into  the  water  and  disappeared.  On  return 
ing  to  her  mother,  who  lived  at  the  bottom  of  the 
river,  she  was  told  to  go  back  to  the  hunter  and  be 
his  wife  ;  "  for  now,"  said  the  mother,  "  you  belong  to 
that  man." 

The  hunter's  name  was  Mitchihess,  the  Partridge. 
"When  she  came  to  his  lodge  he  was  absent.  So  she 
arranged  everything  for  his  return,  making  a  bed  of 
boughs.  At  night  he  came  back  with  one  beaver. 
This  he  divided  ;  cooked  one  half  for  supper  and  laid 
bv  the  other  half.  In  the  morning  when  she  awoke 
he  was  gone,  and  the  other  half  of  the  beaver  had  also 
disappeared.  That  night  he  returned  with  another 
beaver,  and  the  same  thing  took  place  again.  Then 
she  resolved  to  spy  and  find  out  what  all  this  meant. 

So  she  laid  down  and  went  to  sleep,  wide  awake, 
with  one  eye  open.  Then  he  quietly  rose  and  cooked 
the  half  of  the  beaver,  and  taking  a  key  (Apkwosge- 
hegan,  P.)  unlocked  a  box,  and  took  out  a  little  red 
dwarf  and  fed  him.  Replacing  the  elf,  he  locked  him 
up  again,  and  lay  down  to  sleep.  And  the  small 
creature  had  eaten  the  whole  half  beaver.  But  ere  he 
put  him  in  his  box  he  washed  him  and  combed  his 
hair,  which  seemed  to  delight  him. 


302  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

The  next  morning,  when  her  husband  had  gone  for 
the  day,  the  wife  sought  for  the  key,  and  having  found 
it  opened  the  box  and  called  to  the  little  fellow  to 
come  out.  This  he  refused  to  do  for  a  long  time, 
though  she  promised  to  wash  and  comb  him.  Being 
at  length  persuaded,  he  peeped  out,  when  she  pulled 
him  forth.  But  whenever  she  touched  him  her  hands 
became  red,  though  of  this  she  took  no  heed,  thinking 
she  could  wash  it  off  at  will.  But  lo !  while  combing 
him,  there  entered  a  hideous  being,  an  awful  devil, 
who  caught  the  small  elf  from  her  and  ran  away. 

Then  she  was  terribly  frightened.  And  trying  to 
wash  her  hands,  the  red  stain  remained.  When  her 
husband  returned  that  night  he  had  no  game ;  when 
he  saw  the  red  stain  he  knew  all  that  had  happened ; 
when  he  knew  what  had  happened  he  seized  his  bow 
to  beat  her ;  when  she  saw  him  seize  his  bow  to  beat 
her  she  ran  down  to  the  river,  and  jumped  in  to 
escape  death  at  his  hands,  though  it  should  be  by 
drowning.  But  as  she  fell  into  the  water  she  became 
a  sheldrake  duck.  And  to  this  day  the  marks  of  the 
red  stain  are  to  be  seen  on  her  feet  and  feathers.1 

1  Related  to  me  by  Noel  Josephs,  a  Passamaquoddy.  Notwith 
standing  its  resemblance  to  Blue  Beard,  it  is  probably  in  every 
detail  a  very  old  Indian  tradition.  It  bears  a  slight  resemblance 
to  several  far  western  legends,  which  refer  to  peculiarities  in 
the  duck.  It  is  partly  repeated  in  a  Lox  legend. 


THE  INVISIBLE  ONE. 

(Micmac.) 

THERE  was  once  a  large  Indian  village  situated  on 
the  border  of  a  lake,  —  Nameskeett  oodun  Kuspemku 
(M.).  At  the  end  of  the  place  was  a  lodge,  in  which 
dwelt  a  being  who  was  always  invisible.1  He  had  a 
sister  who  attended  to  his  wants,  and  it  was  known 
that  any  girl  who  could  see  him  might  marry  him. 
Therefore  there  were  indeed  few  who  did  not  make 
the  trial,  but  it  was  long  ere  one  succeeded. 

And  it  passed  in  this  wise.  Towards  evening,  when 
the  Invisible  One  was  supposed  to  be  returning  home, 
his  sister  would  walk  with  any  girls  who  came  down 
to  the  shore  of  the  lake.  She  indeed  could  see  her 
brother,  since  to  her  he  was  always  visible,  and  be 
holding  him  she  would  say  to  her  companions,  "  Do 
you  see  my  brother  ?  "  And  then  they  would  mostly 
answer,  "  Yes,'*  though  some  said,  "  Nay,"  —  alt  telo- 
vejich,  aa  alttelooejik.  And  then  the  sister  would  say, 
"Cogoowa*  wiskoboo Jcsich  ?  "  "  Of  what  is  his  shoul 
der-strap  made?"  But  as  some  tell  the  tale,  she  would 

1  In  this  Micmac  tale,  which  is  manifestly  corrupted  in  many 
ways,  the  hero  is  said  to  be  "a  youth  whose  teeomul  (or  tutelary 
animal)  was  the  moose,"  whence  he  took  bis  name.  In  the  Pas- 
samaquoddy  version  nothing  is  said  about  a  moose.  A  detailed 
account  of  the  difficulty  attending  the  proper  analysis  of  this 
tradition  will  be  found  at  the  end  of  this  chapter. 


304  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

inquire  other  things,  such  as,  "  What  is  his  moose-run 
ner's  haul  ?  "  or,  "  With  what  does  he  draw  his  sled?  " 
And  they  would  reply,  "  A  strip  of  rawhide,"  or  "  A 
green  withe,"  or  something  of  the  kind.  And  then  she, 
knowing  they  had  not  told  the  truth,  would  reply 
quietly,  "  Very  well,  let  us  return  to  the  wigwam !  " 

And  when  they  entered  the  place  she  would  bid 
them  not  to  take  a  certain  seat,  for  it  was  his.  And 
after  they  had  helped  to  cook  the  supper  they  would 
wait  with  great  curiosity  to  see  him  eat.  Truly  he 
gave  proof  that  he  was  a  real  person,  for  as  he  took 
off  his  moccasins  they  became  visible,  and  his  sister 
hung  them  up ;  but  beyond  this  they  beheld  nothing 
not  even  when  they  remained  all  night,  as  many  did. 

There  dwelt  in  the  village  an  old  man,  a  widower, 
with  three  daughters.  The  youngest  of  these  was 
very  small,  weak,  and  often  ill,  which  did  not  prevent 
her  sisters,  especially  the  eldest,  treating  her  with 
great  cruelty.  The  second  daughter  was  kinder,  and 
sometimes  took  the  part  of  the  poor  abused  little  girl, 
but  the  other  would  burn  her  hands  and  face  with  hot 
coals ;  yes,  her  whole  body  was  scarred  with  the  marks 
made  by  torture,  so  that  people  called  her  Oochige- 
askw  (the  rough-faced  girl).  And  when  her  father, 
coming  home,  asked  what  it  meant  that  the  child  was 
so  disfigured,  her  sister  would  promptly  say  that  it 
was  the  fault  of  the  girl  herself,  for  that,  having  been 
forbidden  to  go  near  the  fire,  she  had  disobeyed  and 
fallen  in. 

Now  it  came  to  pass  that  it  entered  the  heads  of 


THE  INVISIBLE   ONE.  305 

the  two  elder  sisters  of  this  poor  girl  that  they  would 
go  and  try  their  fortune  at  seeing  the  Invisible  One. 
So  they  clad  themselves  in  their  finest  and  strove  to 
look  their  fairest ;  and  finding  his  sister  at  home  went 
with  her  to  take  the  wonted  walk  down  to  the  water. 
Then  when  He  came,  being  asked  if  they  saw  him,  they 
said,  "  Certainly,''  and  also  replied  to  the  question  of 
the  shoulder-strap  or  sled  cord,  "  A  piece  of  rawhide." 
In  saying  which,  they  lied,  like  the  rest,  for  they  had 
seen  nothing,  and  got  nothing  for  their  pains. 

When  their  father  returned  home  the  next  evening 
he  brought  with  him  many  of  the  pretty  little  shells 
from  which  weiopeskool  (M.),  or  wampum,  was  made,1 
and  they  were  soon  engaged  napawcjik  (in  stringing 
them). 

That  day  poor  little  Oochigeaskw',  the  burnt-faced 
girl,  who  had  always  run  barefoot,  got  a  pair  of  her 
father's  old  moccasins,  and  put  them  into  water  that 
they  might  become  flexible  to  wear.  And  begging 
her  sisters  for  a  few  wampum  shells,  the  eldest  did 
but  call  her  "  a  lying  little  pest,"  but  the  other  gave 
her  a  few.  And  having  no  clothes  beyond  a  few  pal 
try  rags,  the  poor  creature  went  forth  and  got  herself 
from  the  woods  a  few  sheets  of  birch  bark,  of  which 
she  made  a  dress,  putting  some  figures  on  the  bark.2 

1  In   Passamaquoddy  wampum  is  called  loaw-bap.     It  is  said 
that  a  single  bead  required  a  full  day's  work  to  make  and  finish 
it.     It  is  not  many  years  since  it  was  made  much  more  expe- 
ditiously  in  certain  New  York  villages. 

2  Probably  by  scraping.     Birch  bark  (moskwe)  peeled  in  win- 

20 


306  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

And  this  dress  she  shaped  like  those  worn  of  old.1  So 
she  made  a  petticoat  and  a  loose  gown,  a  cap,  leg- 
gins,  and  handkerchief,  and,  having  put  on  her  fa 
ther's  great  old  moccasins,  —  which  came  nearly  up 
to  her  knees,  —  she  went  forth  to  try  her  luck.  For 
even  this  little  thing  would  see  the  Invisible  One  in 
the  great  wigwam  at  the  end  of  the  village. 

Truly  her  luck  had  a  most  inauspicious  beginning, 
for  there  was  one  long  storm  of  ridicule  and  hisses, 
yells  and  hoots,  from  her  own  door  to  that  which  she 
went  to  seek.  Her  sisters  tried  to  shame  her,  and 
bade  her  stay  at  home,  but  she  would  not  obey ;  and 
all  the  idlers,  seeing  this  strange  little  creature  in  her 
odd  array,  cried,  "  Shame ! "  But  she  went  on,  for 
she  was  greatly  resolved ;  it  may  be  that  some  spirit 
had  inspired  her. 

Now  this  poor  small  wretch  in  her  mad  attire,  with 
her  hair  singed  off  and  her  little  face  as  full  of  burns 
and  scars  as  there  are  holes  in  a  sieve,  was,  for  all 
this,  most  kindly  received  by  the  sister  of  the  Invis 
ible  One  ;  for  this  noble  girl  knew  more  than  the  mere 
outside  of  things  as  the  world  knows  them.  And  as 
the  brown  of  the  evening  sky  became  black,  she  took 
her  down  to  the  lake.  And  erelong  the  girls  knew 
that  He  had  come.  Then  the  sister  said,  "  Do  you 

ter  can  have  the  thin  dark  brown  coat  scraped  away,  leaving  a 
very  light  yellowish-brown  ground.  Tomah  Josephs  "and  his 
niece  Susan,  of  Princeton,  Maine,  are  experts  at  this  work. 

1  This  remark  indicates  the  lateness  of  the  Micmac  version  of 
this  very  old  myth. 


THE  INVISIBLE  ONE.  307 

see  him  ?  "  And  the  other  replied  with  awe,  "  Truly 
I  do,  —  and  He  is  wonderful."  "  And  what  is  his 
sled-string?"  "It  is,"  she  replied,  "the  Rainbow." 
And  great  fear  was  on  her.  "  But,  my  sister,"  said 
the  other,  "  what  is  his  bow-string  ?  "  "  His  bow 
string  is  Ketaksoowowcht  "  (the  Spirits'  Road,  the 
Milky  Way).1 

"  Thou  hast  seen  him,"  said  the  sister.  And,  tak 
ing  the  girl  home,  she  bathed  her,  and  as  she  washed 
all  the  scars  disappeared  from  face  and  body.  Her 
hair  grew  again ;  it  was  very  long,  and  like  a  black 
bird's  wing.  Her  eyes  were  like  stars.  In  all  the 
world  was  no  such  beauty.  Then  from  her  treasures 
she  gave  her  a  wedding  garment,  and  adorned  her. 
Under  the  comb,  as  she  combed  her,  her  hair  grew. 
It  was  a  great  marvel  to  behold. 

Then,  having  done  this,  she  bade  her  take  the  wife^s 
seat  in  the  wigwam,  —  that  by  which  her  brother  sat, 
the  seat  next  the  door.  And  when  He  entered,  terri 
ble  and  beautiful,  he  smiled  and  said,  "  Wayoolkoos  !  " 
"  So  we  are  found  out !  "  "  Alajulaa"  "  Yes,"  was 
her  reply.  So  she  became  his  wife.2 

1  The  Spirits'  or  Ghosts'  Road,  so  called  because  it  is  believed 
to  be  the  highway  by  which  spirits  pass  to  and  from  the  earth. 
The  Micmac  version,  belittled  and  reduced  in  every  way,  limits 
this  reply  to  "  a  piece  of  a  rainbow."     There  is  a  grandeur  of 
conception  in  the   Passamaquoddy  myth  which  recalls  the  most 
stupendous  similes  in  Scripture. 

2  This  is  the  true  end  of  this  Indian  Cupid  and  Psyche  legend. 
But  the  Micmacs  having,  for  no  apparent  reacon,  made  the  Stu 
pendous  Deity  of  the  Heavens  a  moose  (Team),  have  added  to  it 


308  THE   ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

another  for  the  sake  of  the  name,  and  which  I  give  in  due  suc 
cession  simply  as  an  illustration  of  the  manner  in  which  tales  are 
tacked  together.  I  have  very  little  doubt  that  the  story  as  here 
given  is  an  old  solar  myth,  worked  up,  perhaps,  with  the  story  of 
Cinderella,  derived  from  a  Canadian-French  source.  There  are 
enough  of  these  French-Indian  stories  in  my  possession  alone  to 
form  what  would  make  one  of  the  most  interesting  volumes  of 
the  series  of  the  Contes  Populaires.  The  Passamaquoddy  version 
is  to  this  effect  :  "  There  was  a  great  being,  a  mighty  hunter, 
who  had  a  wife,  of  wonderful  magic  gifts,  and  a  boy  ;  and  the 
child  became  blind.  After  a  long  time  his  sight  returned,  and 
he  said  so  ;  but  his  mother  was  suspicious,  and  did  not  believe 
him."  It  is  evident  that  she  suspected  that  he  saw  by  clairvoy 
ance,  not  by  literal  vision.  "  So  one  day  she  bade  her  husband 
put  on  certain  things  which  no  one  could  behold  who  did  not  see 
them  in  truth.  Then  she  asked  the  boy,  '  What  has  your  father 
for  a  sled-string?'  (literally  for  a  moose-runner  haul).  And 
he  replied,  '  The  rainbow  to  haul  by.'  Then  she  asked  him  yet 
again,  *  "What  has  he  for  a  bow-string  ?  '  And  he  answered, 
*  Ke'taksoo  wowcht •  '  '  The  Spirits'  or  Ghosts'  Road.'  And  once 
more  she  inquired,  '  What  has  he  on  his  sled  ?  '  To  which  he 
said,  *  A  beaver.'  Then  she  knew  that  he  could  indeed  see." 
(T.  Josephs.) 

We  can  perceive  by  shreds  and  patches  such  as  these  the  all 
but  loss  of  an  early  and  grand  mythology  which  has  undergone 
the  usual  transmutation  into  romantic  and  nursery  legends.  By 
great  exertion  we  might  recover  it,  but  the  old  Indians  who  re 
tain  its  fragments  are  passing  away  rapidly,  and  no  subject  at 
tracts  so  little  interest  among  our  literati.  A  few  hundred  dol 
lars  expended  annually  in  each  State  would  result  in  the  collec 
tion  of  all  that  is  extant  of  this  folk-lore  ;  and  a  hundred  years 
hence  some  few  will,  perhaps,  regret  that  it  was  not  done. 

It  may  be  observed  that  in  the  Edda  the  rainbow  is  the  heav 
enly  road  over  which  the  gods  pass.  The  rainbow  is  not  the 
Milky  Way,  but  it  may  be  observed  that  in  this  tale  the  two  are 


THE  INVISIBLE   ONE.  309 

curiously   compared,   or   almost   identified.     But   according    to 
Charles  Francis  Keary  {Mythology  of  the  Eddas,  London,  1882), 
"  there  is  small  hint  in  the  Edda  of  the  use  of  the  rainbow  as  a 
path  for  souls,  save  where  Helgi  says  to  his  wife,  — 
"  '  'T  is  time  for  me  to  ride  the  ruddy  road, 

And  on  my  horse  to  tread  the  path  of  flight,'  " 

which  is  more  applicable  to  the  Milky  Way  than  the  rainbow. 
"  We  owe,"  he  says,  "  to  the  learned  Adalbert  Kuhn  some  re 
searches  which  have  traced  the  path  of  the  Milky  Way  as  a 
bridge  of  souls  from  its  first  appearance  in  Eastern  creeds  to  its 
later  appearance  in  mediaeval  German  tradition."  {Zeitschrift  f.  v. 
Sp.  I.  c.)  In  the  Vedas  the  Milky  Way  is  called  the  Gods'  Path. 
The  American  Indians  firmly  believe  that  the  Spirits'  Road  is 
one  of  their  very  earliest  traditions,  and  I  believe  with  them  that 
they  had  it  long-  before  Columbus  discovered  this  country. 

Since  the  foregoing  remarks  were  written,  Mrs.  W.  Wallace 
Brown  has  obtained  tho  following  fragment,  which  was  given  as 
a  song,  and  declared  to  be  very  ancient :  — 

"  There  was  a  woman,  long,  long  ago  : 
She  came  out  of  a  hole. 
In  it  dead  people  were  buried. 
She  made  her  house  in  a  tree  ; 
She  was  dressed  in  leaves, 
All  long  ago. 

When  she  walked  among  the  dry  leaves 
Her  feet  were  so  covered 
The  feet  were  invisible. 
She  walked  through  the  woods, 
Singing  all  the  time, 
'  I  want  company  ;  I  'm  lonesome  ! ' 
A  wild  man  heard  her  : 
From  afar  over  the  lakes  and  mountains 
He  came  to  her. 
She  sa%v  him  :  she  was  afraid  ; 
She  tried  to  flee  away, 
For  he  was  covered  with  the  rainbow  ; 
Color  and  light  were  his  garments. 
She  ran,  and  he  pursued  rapidly ; 
He  chased  her  to  the  foot  of  a  mountain. 


310  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

He  spoke  in  a  strange  language  ; 

She  could  not  understand  him  at  first. 

He  would  make  her  tell  where  she  dwelt. 

They  married  ;  they  had  two  children. 

One  of  them  was  a  boy ; 

He  was  blind  from  his  birth, 

But  he  frightened  his  mother  by  his  sight. 

He  could  tell  her  what  was  coming, 

What  was  coming  from  afar. 

What  was  near  he  could  not  see. 

He  could  see  the  bear  and  the  moose 

Far  away  beyond  the  mountains ; 

He  could  see  through  everything." 

The  old  Indian  woman  ended  this  story  by  saying  abruptly, 
"  Don't  know  any  more.  Guess  they  all  eat  up  by  muoin  "  (the 
bear).  She  said  that  it  was  only  a  fragment.  "If  you  could 
have  heard  her  repeat  this,"  adds  Mrs.  Brown,  "  in  pieces,  stop 
ping  to  explain  what  the  characters  said,  and  describing  how 
they  looked,  and  anon  singing  it  again,  you  would  have  got  the 
inner  sense  of  a  wonderfully  weird  tale.  The  woman's  feet  cov 
ering  and  the  man's  dress  like  a  rainbow,  yet  not  one,  which 
made  their  bodies  invisible,  seemed  to  exercise  her  imagination 
strangely  ;  and  these  were  to  her  the  most  important  part  of  the 
story."  The  fragment  is  part  of  a  very  old  myth  ;  I  regret  to 
say  a  very  obscure  one. 


STORY  OF  THE  THREE  STRONG  MEN. 

(Micmac.) 

THERE  was  a  chieftain  in  the  days  of  yore.  He 
had  a  great  desire  for  a  poor  girl  who  was  a  servant, 
and  who  worked  for  him.  To  win  this  girl  he  first 
must  lose  his  wife.  He  took  his  wife  afar  into  the 
woods  to  gather  spruce-gum,  and  then  left  her  there. 

She  soon  found  out  that  she  had  lost  her  way,  and, 
wandering,  she  lost  it  more  and  more  for  many  days, 
until  she  came  at  last  to  a  bear's  den,  where,  going  in, 
she  found  the  Chief  of  all  the  bears,  who  welcomed 
her,  provided  for  her  wants,  and  furnished  her  with 
pleasant  food  ;  but  as  the  meat  was  raw  he  went  into 
a  neighboring  town  for  fire.  And  as  she  lived  with 
him  she  was  to  him  in  all  things  as  he  wished,  and  as 
a  wife. 

So  that  it  came  to  pass,  as  time  went  on,  that  a 
new-comer  was  expected,  and  she  bade  the  Bear  pro 
vide  the  baby's  clothes.  And  when  the  long-expected 
infant  came  it  was  a  boy,  large,  beautiful,  and  strong ; 
he  was  in  everything  beyond  all  other  boys. 

And  as  the  child  was  born  in  a  strange  way,  he 
very  soon  displayed  a  magic  power.  No  baby  ever 
grew  so  rapidly :  when  four  months  old  he  wrestled 
with  the  Bear  and  threw  him  easily  upon  the  floor. 
And  so  the  mother  saw  that  he  would  be  a  warrior, 
and  the  chief  of  other  men. 


312  77/75  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

She  loathed  the  life  she  led,  and  wished  to  leave, 
and  live  as  she  had  done  in  days  of  old.  To  this  the 
Bear  would  in  nowise  consent,  and  as  her  son  was 
human,  like  herself,  he  loved  his  mother  best,  and 
thought  with  her. 

One  day  he  said,  "  Now  I  can  wrestle  well  and 
throw  the  Bear  as  often  as  I  choose.  When  I  next 
time  cast  him  upon  the  ground,  catch  up  a  club  ;  the 
rest  remains  for  you  !  " 

They  waited  yet  a  while  till  he  had  grown  so  strong 
that  the  Bear  was  nothing  in  his  grasp.  One  day  they 
wrestled  as  they  ever  did,  and  then  the  woman,  with  a 
vigorous  blow,  strengthened  by  hate  and  famishing 
desire  of  freedom  and  a  better  human  life,  laid  him 
in  death  upon  the  mossy  floor. 

They  went  their  way  back  to  the  chieftain's  town, 
and  found  him  married  to  the  servant-girl.  The  mother 
only  spoke,  and  the  wild  boy  tore  down  the  wigwam 
of  the  Indian  chief  just  with  a  blow,  and  then  he 
called  aloud  unto  the  Lightning  in  the  sky  above, 
"  Come  down  to  me  and  help  me  in  my  need  !  Build 
a  grand  wigwam  such  as  man  ne'er  saw !  Build  it, 
I  say,  and  for  my  mother  here !  " 

The  Lightning  came,  and  with  a  single  flash  built 
such  a  home  as  man  had  never  seen. 

And  then  he  said,  "  Mother,  I  mean  to  go  and  travel 
everywhere,  until  I  find  another  man  who  is  as  strong 
as  I.  When  he  is  found  I  will  return  to  thee." 

So  on  he  went  afar  until  he  saw  a  man  who  lifted 
up  a  vast  canoe  with  many  people  in  it.  This  he  did, 


THE    THREE   STRONG  MEN.  313 

raising  it  in  the  water  ;  but  the  boy  bore  it  ashore,  and 
lifted  it  011  land. 

And  so  the  two  agreed  that  they  would  go  on  to 
gether  until  they  found  a  third  equal  to  them  in 
strength,  if  such  a  man  were  living  anywhere  in  all 
the  world. 

So  traveling  by  hill  and  lake,  they  went,  until  one 
day,  far  in  a  lonely  land,  they  saw  a  man  rolling 
a  mighty  rock,  large  as  the  largest  wigwam,  up  a  hill. 
But  the  Bear's  son,  lifting  the  stone  with  ease,  threw 
it  afar  over  the  mountain-top,  —  threw  it  afar  beyond 
the  rocky  range ;  they  heard  it  thunder  down  tho 
depths  below. 

Then  the  three  strong  men  went  to  hunt  the  moose. 
He  who  had  tossed  the  ship  remained  in  camp  to  do 
the  cooking,  while  the  others  went  with  bow  and  spear 
afar  to  find  their  game. 

Now  when  the  sun  was  at  the  edge  of  noon,  just 
balancing  to  fall,  there  came  a  boy,  a  little  wretched, 
elfish-looking  child,  as  sad  and  sickly  as  a  boy  could 
be,  who  asked  the  man  for  food.  He  answered  him, 
"  Poor  little  fellow  !  there,  the  pot  is  full  of  venison, 
so  go  and  eat  your  fill." 

He  ate,  indeed,  the  dinner  for  the  three.  When  he 
had  done  he  did  not  leave  a  scrap ;  then  walked  into 
the  stony  mountain-side,  as  any  man  might  walk  into 
the  fog,  and  in  a  second  he  was  seen  no  more. 

Now  when  the  two  returned  and  heard  the  tale 
they  were  right  angry,  being  hungry  men.  The  man 
who  rolled  the  stone  stayed  next  in  turn,  but  when  the 


314      THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

little  fellow  came  to  him  he  seemed  so  famished  and 
he  shed  such  tears  that  this  one  also  gave  him  leave  to 
eat.  Then,  in  a  single  swallow,  as  it  seemed,  he 
bolted  all  the  food,  and  yelled  aloud  with  an  insulting 
laugh.  The  man,  enraged,  grappled  him  by  the  throat, 
but  the  strange  boy  flung  him  away  as  one  would 
throw  a  nut,  and  vanished  in  the  mountain  as  before. 

On  the  third  day  the  mighty  man  himself  remained 
at  home,  and  soon  the  starveling  child  came  and 
began  to  beg,  with  tears,  for  food.  "  Eat,"  said  the 
chief,  "  as  other  people  eat,  and  no  more  tricks,  or 
I  will  deal  with  you."  But  as  it  was  with  him  the  day 
before,  so  it  went  now ;  he  swallowed  al]  the  meat 
with  the  same  jeering  yell.  Then  the  strong  man 
closed  with  the  boy.  It  was  an  awful  strife  ;  they 
fought  together  from  the  early  morn  until  the  sun 
went  down,  and  then  the  Elf  —  for  elf  he  was  —  cried 
out,  "  I  now  give  in !  "  So  both  his  arms  were 
tightly  bound  behind,  and  with  a  long,  tough  cord  of 
plaited  hide  the  strong  man  kept  his  prey,  the  lariat 
fast  noosed  about  his  neck.  The  child  went  on,  the 
strong  man  ever  following  behind,  holding  the  cord 
well  twisted  round  his  hand. 

And  so  they  went  into  the  mountain-side,  and  ever 
on,  a  long  and  winding  way,  down  a  deep  cavern,  on 
for  many  a  mile,  —  the  light  of  sorcery  shining  from 
the  elf  made  it  all  clear,  —  until  at  last '  the  guide 
stopped  in  his  course,  and  said :  — 

"  Now  list  to  me.  I  am  the  servant  of  a  frightful 
fiend,  a  seven-headed  devil,  whom  I  deemed  no  man 


THE    THREE   STRONG  MEN.  315 

could  ever  conquer,  he  and  I  being  of  equal  strength ; 
but  I  believe  that  thou  mayst  conquer  him,  since  I 
have  found,  by  bitter  proof,  that  thou  canst  conquer 
me.  Here  is  a  staff,  the  only  thing  on  earth  that  man 
may  smite  him  with  and  give  him  pain.  Now,  do  your 
best ;  it  is  all  one  to  me  which  of  you  gains,  so  one  of 
you  be  slain,  for  well  I  wot  't  will  be  a  roaring  fight." 

In  came  the  evil  being  with  a  scream,  and  clutched 
the  Indian  with  teeth  and  claws.  There,  in  the  magic 
cavern,  many  a  mile  from  the  sun's  rays,  they  fought 
for  seven  days,  the  stubborn  devil  and  the  stubborn 
man,  whose  savage  temper  gave  him  fresher  strength 
with  every  fresh  wound ;  the  more  his  blood  ran  from 
his  body  all  the  more  his  heart  grew  harder  with  the 
love  of  fight,  until  he  beat  away  the  monster's  seven 
heads.  And  so  he  slew  him,  and  the  watching  elf  burst 
into  laughter  at  the  victory. 

"  Now,"  said  the  Elf,  "  I  have  a  gift  for  thee.  I 
have  three  sisters  :  all  are  beautiful,  and  all  shall  be 
thine  own  if  thou  wilt  but  unbind  my  hands."  The 
strong  man  set  him  free.  And  so  he  led  the  man  to 
another  cave,  and  there  he  saw  three  girls  so  strangely 
fair  they  seemed  to  be  a  dream.  The  first,  indeed, 
was  very  beautiful,  and  yet  as  plump  as  she  was 
lovely ;  then  the  second  maid  was  tall,  superb,  and 
most  magnificent,  in  rarest  furs,  with  richest  wampum 
bands,  the  very  picture  of  a  perfect  bride  ;  but  fairer 
than  them  both,  as  much  more  fair  as  swans  outrival 
ducks,  the  youngest  smiled.  And  the  young  chieftain 
chose  her  for  his  own. 


316  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

With  the  three  girls  he  went  into  the  day.  Far  on 
the  rocks  above  him  he  could  see  his  two  companions, 
and  a  sudden  thought  came  to  his  mind,  for  he  was 
quick  to  think;  and  so  he  called,  "I  say,  let  down 
a  rope ;  I  have  three  girls  here,  and  they  cannot 
climb."  And  so  the  two  strong  men  let  down  a  cord : 
then  the  first  fairy-maid  went  up  by  it,  and  then  the 
second.  Now  the  chief  cried  out,  "  It  is  my  turn ; 
now  you  must  pull  on  me !  "  And  saying  this,  he  tied 
a  heavy  stone,  just  his  own  weight,  unto  the  long 
rope's  end,  then  bid  them  haul.  It  rose,  but  as  it 
came  just  to  the  top  the  traitors  let  it  fall,  as  he  sup 
posed  they  would,  to  murder  him. 

And  then  the  chieftain  said  unto  the  elf,  "  You 
know  the  mountain  and  its  winding  ways:  bear  me 
upon  thy  back,  and  that  in  haste,  to  where  those  fel 
lows  are  !  "  The  goblin  flew,  and  in  an  instant  he 
was  by  their  side. 

He  found  the  villains  in  a  deadly  fight,  quarrel 
ing  for  the  maids ;  but  seeing  him  they  ceased  to 
wrestle,  upon  which  he  said,  "  I  risked  rny  life  to 
bring  away  these  girls ;  I  would  have  given  each  of 
you  a  wife  :  for  doing  this  you  would  have  murdered 
me.  Now  1  could  kill  you,  and  you  both  deserve 
death  at  the  stake,  vile  serpents  that  you  are ;  but 
take  your  lives,  —  you  are  too  low  for  me,  —  and  with 
them  take  these  women,  if  they  wish  to  wed  with  such 
incarnate  brutes  as  you  !  " 

They  went  their  way ;  the  women  followed  them 
along  the  forest  paths,  and  ever  on.  Into  this  story 
they  return  no  more. 


THE   THREE  STRONG  MEN.  317 

And  then  the  strong  man  said  to  his  young  bride, 
"  I  must  return  unto  my  village  ;  then  I  '11  come  again 
to  you  ;  await  me  here."  But  she,  as  one  to  elfin 
magic  born,  replied,  "  I  warn  you  of  a  single  thing. 
When  you  again  are  at  your  wigwam  door  a  small 
black  dog  will  leap  to  lick  your  hand.  Beware,  I 
say ;  if  he  succeed  in  it,  you  surely  will  forget  me  ut 
terly."  As  she  predicted  so  it  came  to  pass. 

And  so  she  waited  in  the  lonely  wood  beside  the 
mountain  till  a  month  was  gone,  and  then  arose  and 
went  to  seek  her  love.  All  in  the  early  dawn  she 
reached  the  town,  and  found  the  wigwam  of  the  saga 
more.  She  sought  a  neighboring  hiding-place,  where 
she  might  watch  unseen,  and  found  a  tree,  a  broad  old 
ash,  which  spread  its  stooping  boughs  over  the  surface 
of  a  silent  pool. 

An  old  black  Indian  had  a  hut  hard  by.  His 
daughter,  coming,  looked  into  the  spring,  and  saw  a 
lovely  face.  The  simple  girl  thought  it  was  hers,  her 
own  grown  beautiful  by  sorcery  which  hung  about  the 
place.  She  flung  away  her  pail,  and  said,  "Aha! 
I  '11  work  no  more ;  some  chief  shall  marry  me  !  " 
and  so  she  went  to  smile  among  the  men. 

Then  came  the  mother,  who  beheld  the  same  sweet, 
smiling,  also  girlish  face.  She,  said,  "  Now  I  am  young 
and  beautiful  again  ;  I  '11  seek  another  husband,  and  at 
once."  She  threw  her  pail  afar  and  went  away,  losing 
no  time  to  smile  among  the  men. 

And  then  in  turn  the  old  black  Indian  came,  and 
looking  in  the  spring  beheld  the  face.  He  knew  right 


318  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

well  that  it  was  not  his  own,  for  in  his  youth  he  never 
had  been  fair.  So  looking  up  above  he  saw  the  bride, 
and  bade  her  come  to  him  ;  and  then  he  said,  "  My 
wife  has  gone  away  ;  my  daughter,  too.  You  were  the 
cause  of  it ;  it  is  but  right  that  you  should  take  the 
place  my  wife  has  left.  Therefore  remain  with  me 
and  be  my  own." 

He  fares  but  ill  who  weds  unwilling  witch.  When 
night  came  on  they  laid  them  down  to  sleep,  and  then 
the  bride  murmured  a  magic  prayer,  begging  the 
awful  Spirit  of  the  Wind,  the  giant  Eagle  of  the 
wilderness,  to  do  his  worst.  A  fearful  tempest  blew, 
and  all  night  long  the  old  black  Indian  was  out-of- 
doors,  working  with  all  his  power  to  keep  the  lodge 
from  being  blown  away.  As  soon  as  he  had  pinned 
one  sheet  of  bark  into  its  place  another  blew  away, 
and  then  a  tent  pole  rattling  in  the  rain  bounded 
afar.  It  was  a  weary  work,  but  all  night  long  the 
young  bride  slept  in  peace,  until  the  morning  came, 
and  then  he  slept. 

Then  she  arose,  and,  walking  to  the  wood,  sat  down 
beside  a  stream  and  sang  a  song :  — 

"  There  are  many  men  in  the  world, 
But  only  one  is  dear  to  me. 
He  is  good  and  brave  and  strong. 
He  swore  to  love  none  but  me  ; 
He  has  forgotten  me. 
It  was  a  bad  spirit  that  changed  him, 
But  I  will  love  none  but  him." 

And  as  she  sat  and  sang,  the  sagamore  her  husband, 


THE   THREE   STRONG  MEN.  319 

paddling  by  in  his  canoe,  heard  the  sweet  song  in 
toned  in  magic  style,1  and  all  at  once  recalled  what 
had  been  lost,  —  the  two  strong  giants,  the  cavern  and 
the  elf,  the  seven-headed  monster  and  the  fight,  the 
sisters  and  the  evil-minded  men,  and  the  black  dog 
who  leaped  to  lick  his  hand  :  it  flashed  upon  him 
like  some  early  dream  brought  out  by  sorcery.  He 
saw  her  sit  beside  the  stream,  and  still  he  heard  her 
song,  soft  as  a  magic  flute.  He  went  to  her,  and  in 
a  minute  he  was  won  again. 

And  then  she  said,  "  This  world  is  ever  false.  I 
know  another,  let  us  go  to  it."  So  then  again  she  sang 
a  magic  spell,  and  as  she  sang  they  saw  the  great  Cul- 
loo,  the  giant  bird,  broad  as  a  thunder  cloud,  winging 
his  way  towards  them.  Then  he  came  ;  they  stepped 
upon  him,  and  he  soared  away.  But  to  this  earth  they 
never  came  again. 

This  very  singular  legend  was  obtained  for  me  by 
Mrs.  W.  Wallace  Brown.  It  is  from  the  Micmac,  and 
is  in  the  original  from  beginning  to  end  a  song,  or 
poem.  For  this  reason  I  have  given  it  a  plain  met 
rical  form,  neither  prose  nor  poetry,  such  being  quite 
the  character  of  the  original.  But  I  have  not  intro 
duced  anything  not  in  the  original. 

This   story  consists  of   a  very  old   Indian   legend 

1  Not  only  the  words,  but  the  peculiar  intonations  of  them, 
were  essential  to  produce  the  proper  effect  of  a  magic  song.  An 
intelligent  white  man  has  left  it  on  record  that  it  required  two 
years  to  learn  one  of  these  incantations  of  only  a  few  lines; 


320  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

mingled  with,  a  European  fairy  tale  drawn  through 
a  French-Canadian  source.  The  incident  of  the  Elf 
who  eats  the  food  of  three  men  is  to  be  found  in  an 
other  tale.  In  one  version,  the  bride,  finding  that  her 
husband,  though  utterly  deprived  by  magic  of  his 
memory,  has  married  again,  sails  away  on  the  great 
bird,  leaving  him  forever.  I  have  naturally  rejected 
this  senseless  termination  in  favor  of  one  found  in  an 
other  form. 

The  calling  on  the  Lightning  to  build  a  wigwam  is 
probably  a  mistake.  It  is  more  likely  that  it  was  sum 
moned  to  destroy  the  chief's  wigwam,  but  the  narra 
tor,  confused  with  the  subject  of  the  hero's  strength, 
changed  the  original.  The  invocations  of  Lightning, 
and  subsequently  of  the  Storm  Bird  are  probably  en 
tirely  Indian,  though  there  are  Norse  invocations  to 
Hroesvelgar,  or  the  Eagle  of  the  Northwest,  as  we 
read  in  Scott's  Pirate. 

The  black  whelp  or  small  black  dog  is  in  this  tale 
ominous  of  evil.  It  causes  oblivion.  In  the  Edda  to 
dream  of  the  same  thing  is  the  most  evil  of  all  Atli's 
bad  dreams  (vide  the  second  lay  of  Gudrun,  41)  :  — 

"  Seemed  to  me  from  my  hand 
Whelps  I  let  slip. 
Lacking  cause  of  joy  ; " 

and  in  the  very  same  song  (24)  he  takes  a  potion 
which  causes  oblivion.  But  there  is  even  a  third 
point  in  the  Atlamal  in  Groenlenzku,  which  resem 
bles  one  in  the  Indian  tale.  It  is  where  the  half  en 
chantress  Kostbera  warns  Hb'gni  against  leaving  her  : 


THE   THREE  STRONG  MEN.  321 

"  From  borne  thou  art  going  : 
Give  ear  to  counsel  ; 
Few  are  fully  prudent  ; 
Go  another  time." 

In  the  Norse  lay  we  are  told  that  to  dream  of  a 
white  bear  indicates  a  storm,  but  here  it  means  a 
strange  and  terrible  event.  Long  before  I  met  with 
this,  I  observed  that  the  introduction,  or  mention,  of 
a  white  bear-skin  in  these  Indian  stories  invariably 
intimates  some  strange  magical  change. 

But  it  is  most  remarkable  of  all,  that,  while  the 
poems  of  the  Edda  have  nothing  but  a  very  few  in 
cidents  in  common  with  the  traditions  01  the  western 
tribes,  they  are  inspired  throughout  with  a  strange  and 
mysterious  sentiment  or  manner  wonderfully  like  that 
of  the  Wabanaki.  As  regards  literal  resemblance  the 
following  coincidences  may  here  be  noted. 

In  a  widely  spread  Norse  tale  a  very  small  goblin 
sustains  a  long  and  obstinate  contest  with  an  immense 
white  bear. 

The  Norsemen  invoked  the  Eagle  Giant  of  the 
Winds,  as  Scott  has  shown  in  his  song  of  the  Reim- 
kennar.  The  same  being  is  invoked  in  this  legend. 

The  whelp,  as  an  omen  of  evil,  is  mentioned  in  the 
Edda.  In  this  tale  he  causes  forgetfulness.  A  potion 
of  oblivion  is  also  mentioned  in  the  Norse  poem  in 
close  connection  with  the  omen  of  the  dog. 

If  we  accept  the  termination  of  this  tale  as  given 
in  the  Micmac  poem  it  amounts  to  this  :  A  certain 
woman  causes  the  whelp  to  lick  the  hero's  hand. 

21 


322      THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

This  causes  forgetfulness.  The  hero  marries  her,  and 
thereby  loses  his  first  wife.  In  the  Edda,  Brynhild, 
who  has  morally  the  first  claim  to  Sigurd,  says  of 
Crymhild,  "  She  presented  to  Sigurd  the  pernicious 
drink,  so  that  he  no  more  remembers  me."  In  the 
saga  of  Thorstein,  Viking's  son  the  hero,  is  made  by 
the  witch  Dis  to  utterly  forget  his  bride  Hunoor. 

The  Kalmuk  tale  of  How  the  Schimm-Khan  was 
Slain  contains  striking  analogies  to  this  of  the  Three 
Strong  Men.1  In  it -the  hero  associates  with  three 
men,  who  take  turns  to  cook.  Their  food  is  devoured, 
as  in  this  tale,  every  day  by  a  little  old  witch  who  is 
very  strong.  He  overcomes  her  by  craft.  His  com 
panions,  instead  of  drawing  him  up  by  the  rope,  as 
agreed  on,  leave  him  to  perish,  in  order  to  possess 
themselves  of  a  treasure.  There  can  be  no  doubt  as 
to  the  Hindoo  origin  of  this  and  many  more  plots 
found  among  the  red  Indians.  But  a  careful  study 
of  the  Norse  story  convinces  me  that  the  tale  did 
not  come  to  the  Wabanaki  through  any  other  than  a 
Norse  source. 

Since  writing  out  the  foregoing  poem,  with  the  com 
ment,  I  have  received  from  Louis  Mitchell  the  Pe- 
nobscot  version  of  it.  It  is  about  twice  as  long  as  the 
Micmac  story,  and  differs  from  it  very  materially.  In 
it  the  hero  conquers  the  goblin  by  getting  possession 
of  his  red  cap.  In  the  Norse  tales  the  same  incident 
occurs  in  different  forms.  He  then  fights  with  a 
copper  demon  ;  also  with  one  of  silver  and  another  of 
1  Sagas  from  the  Far  East,  London,  1873. 


THE    THREE   STRONG  MEN.  323 

gold.  Each  devil,  while  he  is  sharpening  his  sword, 
exclaims,  "  Hurry  !  hurry  !  I  am  hungry  !  "  The  last 
of  the  three,  the  JTche  mitche-hant,  or  great  devil,  has 
three  heads,  which  replace  themselves  when  cut  off ; 
but  the  hero  summons  a  lion  (pee'tahlo)  and  an  eagle, 
who  devour  each  a  head,  when  the  demon,  to  save  the 
last,  surrenders.  There  are  old  "  aboriginal "  inci 
dents  in  this  Passamaquoddy  tale,  but  the  European 
elements  predominate  to  such  an  extent  as  to  call  for 
the  following  remark  from  the  Indian  writer :  — 

"  This  story  is  ended.  When  Indians  in  it,  as  they 
do  in  many  others,  speak  of  kings  and  queens  or  ships 
and  ivory,  I  think  they  got  it  all  from  Europe.  But 
perhaps  when  the  Indians  came  here  from  Asia  they 
brought  these  stories  with,  them4  Thus  they  very 
often  mention  ivory,  calling  it  white  bone.  They  also 
mention  cities.  But  these  things  are  not  new,  for 
they  were  handed  down  from  one  generation  to  an 
other." 

I  have  to  add  that,  while  the  story  agrees  with  an 
universally  spread  Aryan  fairy  tale,  it  is  very  remark 
able  that  it  should  add  to  these,  several  strictly  Ed- 
daic  details,  such  as  the  white  bear. 


THE  WEEWILLMEKQ'. 

/.   How  a    Woman  Lost  a  Gun  for  Fear  of  tho  Wee- 
willmekq'. 

THERE  was  a  man  and  his  wife  who  had  got  to 
gether  all  they  had  for  the  fall  hunt.  They  went  up 
the  St.  John's  River ;  they  left  the  village  of  Foxer- 
bica;  they  went  twenty-five  miles  beyond  it.  They 
passed  the  falls  on  the  upper  side  to  get  some  game. 
They  cooked  and  ate.  They  got  ready  to  start  again ; 
they  launched  the  canoe.1  They  shoved  the  canoe 
twenty-five  feet  from  the  shore.  The  woman  turned, 
and  upset  it.  It  went  like  lightning  down  the  rapids. 
They  had  hard  work  to  get  ashore,  and  lost  their 
gun,  traps,  kettle,  and  everything.  They  escaped  with 
great  trouble  ;  they  had  trouble  to  save  their  canoe. 

The  man  was  in  great  grief  at  the  loss  of  his  gun. 
He  sat  down  and  sang :  — 

"  Nici  sigi  psach  ke-yin, 
Dich  m'djel  mieol  wagb  nuch'." 

I  am  sorry, 

I  am  hi  great  trouble. 

There  came  two  Indians  down  to  the  portage  where 
the  man  and  his  wife  sat.  They  asked  him  why  he 

1  This  story  and  the  preceding  are  taken  word  for  word  from 
the  Indian  narration.  The  singular  precision  of  minute  details 
is  very  characteristic  of  many  of  these  legends. 


THE    WEEW1LLMEKQ'.  325 

was  so  sad.  He  told  them  all.  One  of  them  was  a 
mteoulin.  He  asked  of  them,  "  Could  you  tell  your 
gun  if  you  saw  it  ?  "  The  woman  cried  quickly,  "  I 
could  !  "  He  was  not  pleased  at  her  forwardness,  but 
put  the  question  again ;  when  she  as  pertly  answered, 
"  Yes,"  for  her  husband.  He  looked  sternly  at  her, 
and  said,  "  Are  you  sure  ? "  To  which  she  cried, 
"  Yes,  yes ! "  Then  he  said,  "  If  you  are  very  bold, 
and  not  afraid  of  anything,  you  may  get  it  again." 
And  this,  too,  she  took  on  herself,  saying,  "  Oh,  yes, 
I'm  not  afraid ;  I'll  get  it,"  making  no  account  of 
her  husband. 

Then,  by  the  order  of  the  man,  she  went  to  a  ledge 
just  below  the  falls,  where  they  are  seventy-five  feet 
high.  There  was  a  little  projecting  rock  on  which 
she  could  just  sit,  —  a  horrible  place.  Below  it  was 
a  dreadful  eddy,  in  which  nothing  could  live.  He 
helped  her  down  to  it,  and  she  was  in  mortal  terror, 
as  such  glib-tongued  women  generally  are  when  there 
is  the  least  danger.  Then  the  man  went  away. 

And  as  she  sat  there,  trembling  and  half  dead  with 
fright,  she  saw  Something  come  up  out  of  the  eddy, 
—  even  out  of  the  worst  of  it.  It  rose;  it  was  an 
awful  sight,  —  a  kind  of  monstrous  head,  with  great 
forked  horns  and  terrible  eyes.  She  was  stiff  as  a 
stone  with  fear.  The  lost  gun  lay  crosswise  on  the 
prongs  of  the  horns.  It  moved  slowly  on  through  the 
eddy,  glaring  at  her.  It  came  nearer  and  rfearer; 
the  gun  was  within  her  reach,  but  she  was  too  fright 
ened  to  touch  it.  Then  the  monster  passed  by  and 


326  THE   ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

sank  into  the  water,  and  was  seen  no  more,  nor  was 
the  gun. 

They  got  her  back  with  trouble  from  the  place 
where  she  sat.  The  m'teoulin  was  furious  with  rage 
at  her,  that  he  had  taken  such  pains  for  nothing.  He 
said,  "  This  serves  you  right  for  your  impudence  and 
forwardness.  Learn  your  proper  place,  and  never 
undertake  to  do  what  is  none  of  your  business."  He 
then  condoled  with  the  husband,  but  said,  "  If  you 
could  give  me  all  you  could  think  of,  I  could  never 
get  your  gun  again." 

By  this  women  may  learn  not  to  speak  too  quickly, 
or  propose  to  do  men's  duties.  "Hu  'sami  nzama 
wiuch  wee  lei  n'aga  samee  ri gamma  wiool  petin'l." 
(P.  "  Too  quick  with  the  tongue,  slow  with  the 
hands."1) 

1  Though  the  Weewillmekq'  is  a  worm  inhabiting  the  forest 
and  found  in  dry  wood,  it  is  certainly  identified,  or  confused,  by 
the  Passamaquoddy  Indians  with  the  alligator,  or  some  kind  of 
a  horrible  water-goblin,  which  appears  to  have  many  points  in 
common  with  the  Chepitchcalm,  or  dragon  of  the  Micmacs.  This 
story  was  related  to  me  by  Tomah  Josephs,  now  Indian  governor 
at  Princeton,  Maine. 

Among  various  notes  I  find  the  following  :  — 
"  The  weewillmekq'  becomes  human  at  times,  even  now." 
"  Six  years  ago,"  said  T.  J.,  "  I  was  in  the  woods  collecting 
boughs,  and  I  saw  a  weewillmekq1  on  a  tree.     The  thunder  kept 
approaching  the  tree  on  which  it  was,  and  finally  struck  it.     It 
seemed  to  me  as  if  the  worm  had  attracted  the  lightning."  (Au 
gust  2§,  1883.) 

"  The  Weewillmekq'  is  a  small  worm,  sometimes  two  or  three 
inches  long.  It  is  seen  sometimes  in  the  water  as  large  as 


THE    WEEWILLMEKQ'.  327 


//.   Muggahmaht'adem,   the    Dance  of  Old  Age,  or  the 


Magic  of  the  Weewillmekq' '.l 


(Passamaquoddy.) 

Of  old  times.  There  lived  in  a  village  many  In 
dians.  Among  them  was  a  handsome  young  man, 
very  brave,  a  great  hunter.  And  there  was  a  beau 
tiful  girl,  What  was  her  name  ?  Mahli-hahn-sqwess, 
or  Kaliwahdazi,  —  I  don't  remember  which.  But  she 
was  proud  and  high-tempered,  and,  what  was  worse, 
a  great  witch,  but  nobody  knew  it.  She  wanted  the 
young  man  to  marry  her,  but  he  was  very  busy  get 
ting  ready  for  the  fall  and  winter  hunt,  and  had  110 
time  to  attend  to  such  a  thing  ;  and  told  her  so  very 
plainly. 

Yes,  he  must  have  been  very  plain  with  her,  for  she 
was  very  angry,  and  said  to  him,  "  You  may  go  ;  but 
you  will  never  return  as  you  went."  She  meant  that 
he  would  be  ill  or  changed.  He  gave  no  heed  to  her 
words ;  he  did  not  care  for  her  nor  fear  her.  But  far 

a  horse.  Then  it  has  horns.  It  is  a  very  horrible-looking  little 
worm." 

1  This  mysterious  being  is  called  Wee-wil-li-ah-tnek  in  Penob- 
scot.  The  correct  pronunciation  is  very  nearly  Wee-iuil-l-mekqu? 
for  both  Penobscot  and  Passamaquoddy,  but  this  would  be  a  diffi 
cult  utterance  for  any  one  who  has  never  listened  to  the  Algon 
quin  soft  gutturals. 

Mrs.  W.  Wallace  Brown  informs  me  that  "  the  Weewillmekqu* 
is  a  snail."  This  would  account  for  its  being  thought  to  inhabit 
both  land  and  water. 


328  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

away  in  the  woods,  far  in  the  north,  in  midwinter, 
lie  went  raging  mad.  The  witch  had  struck  him,  when 
far  away,  with  her  magic. 

He  had  with  him  an  elder  brother,  a  great  brave,  a 
very  fierce  man.  He,  not  being  able  to  do  aught  else, 
did  the  most  desperate  thing  a  Wabanaki  Indian  can 
do.  He  went  down  to  the  river,  and  sang  the  song 
which  calls  the  Weewillmekq\ 

"  We  que  moh  wee  will  1'mick, 
We  que  moh  m'cha  micso, 
Som'awo  wee  will  1'mick  ! 
Cardup  ke  su  m'so  wo  Sawo  ! " 

I  call  on  the  Wee-will-1'mick  ! 
1  call  on  the  Terrible  One  ! 
On  the  One  with  the  Horns  ! 
I  dare  him  to  appear  ! 

It  came  to  him  in  all  its  terrors.  Its  eyes  were 
like  fire ;  its  horns  rose.  It  asked  him  what  he  wanted. 
He  said  that  he  wished  his  brother  to  be  in  his  right 
mind  again. 

"  I  will  give  you  what  you  want,"  said  the  Wee- 
willmekq',  "  if  you  are  not  afraid." 

"  I  am  not  afraid  of  anything,"  said  the  Indian. 

"  Not  of  me  ?  " 

"  Not  of  you  nor  of  Mitche-hant,  the  devil  himself." 

"  If  you  dare  take  me  by  my  horns  and  scrape 
somewhat  from  one  of  them  with  your  knife,"  said 
the  monster,  "  you  may  have  your  wish." 

Now  this  Indian  was  indeed  as  savage  and  brave  as 
the  devil ;  and  he  had  need  to  be  so  to  do  this,  for 


THE  WEEWILLMEKQ;.  329 

the  Weewillmekq'  looked  his  very  worst.  But  the 
man  drew  his  knife  and  scraped  from  the  horn  till  he 
was  told  that  he  had  enough. 

u  Go  to  your  camp,"  said  the  Worm.  "  Put  half 
the  scrapings  into  a  cup  of  water.  Make  your  brother 
drink  it." 

"  And  the  other  half  ?  "  asked  the  Indian. 

"  Give  it  to  the  girl  who  made  all  this  trouble.  She 
needs  medicine,  too." 

He  returned  to  camp,  and  gave  the  drink  to  his 
brother,  who  recovered.  When  the  hunt  was  at  an 
end  they  went  home. 

They  arrived  at  night.  There  was  an  immense 
lodge  in  the  town,  and  a  dance  was  going  on.  The 
younger  brother  had  prepared  a  cool  drink,  —  sweet 
with  maple-sugar,  fragrant  with  herbs,  —  and  in  it 
was  the  powder  of  the  horn  of  the  Weewillmekq'. 
The  witch,  warm  and  very  thirsty  from  dancing,  came 
to  the  door.  He  offered  her  the  cup.  Without  heed 
ing  who  gave  it,  she  drank  it  dry,  and,  turning  to  her 
partner,  went  on  in  the  dance. 

And  then  a  strange  thing  happened.  For  at  every 
turn  of  the  dance  she  grew  a  year  older.  She  began 
as  a  young  girl ;  when  at  the  end  of  the  room  she 
was  fifty  years  of  age ;  and  when  she  got  back  to  the 
door  whence  she  started  she  fell  dead  on  the  floor, 
at  the  feet  of  him  who  gave  her  the  drink,  a  little 
wrinkled,  wizened-up  old  squaw  of  a  hundred  years. 

Aha,  yes  ?  wood  enit  atokhahgen,  mug  g  oh  mah't 
adem.  This  is  the  story  of  the  Dance  of  Old  Age. 


330  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

But  you  may  call  it  Sektegah,  the  Dance  of  Death, 
if  you  like  it  better.1 

///.    Another  Version  of  the  Dance  of  Old  Age. 
(Passamaquoddy.) 

It  was  in  the  autumn,  the  time  when  Indians  go  up 
the  rivers  to  their  hunting-grounds,  that  two  youn^ 
men  left  home.  They  ascended  the  stream  ;  they  came 
to  a  branch,  where  they  parted  :  one  going  alone,  an 
other  with  his  married  brother.  This  latter,  with  the 
brother,  had  left  in  the  village  a  female  friend,  a 
witch,  who  had  forbidden  him  to  go  hunting,  but  he 
had  not  obeyed  her. 

And  she  had  cause  to  keep  him  at  home,  for,  when 
he  was  afar  in  the  woods,  and  alone,  he  met  one  day 
with  a  very  beautiful  girl,  who  fascinated  him,  and 
gave  herself  to  him.  And  when  he  said  that  he  did 
not  know  how  to  conceal  her  from  his  friends  she  told 
him  that  she  was  a  fairy,  and  could  make  herself  as 
small  as  a  newly  born  squirrel,  and  that  all  he  need 
do  was  to  wrap  her  up  in  a  handkerchief  and  carry 
her  in  his  pocket.  When  alone,  he  could  take  her  out, 
enjoy  her  company,  and  then  reduce  and  fold  her  up 
and  put  her  away  again. 

1  This  extraordinary  story1  was  related  to  me  by  Noel  Joseph, 
at  Campobello,  August  26,  1883.  I  am  indebted  to  Mrs.  W. 
Wallace  Brown  for  the  incantation  song.  The  Weewillmekq' 
has,  as  it  appears  in  several  tales,  an  extraordinary  resemblance 
to  tho  Norse  dragon.  It  cures  mental  diseases.  It  seems  to  be 
the  same  with  the  Chepitchcalm. 


THE  WEEWILLMEKQ;.  331 

He  did  so,  but  from  that  hour,  while  he  carried 
the  fairy  near  his  heart,  he  began  to  be  wicked  and 
strange.  This  was  not  caused  by  her,  but  by  the  girl 
at  home.  He  was  entirely  changed  ;  he  grew  devil 
ish  ;  he  refused  to  eat,  and  never  spoke.  His  sister- 
in-law  began  to  fear  him.  When  she  offered  him  food 
he  cried  out,  "  Unless  I  can  devour  one  of  your  chil 
dren  I  will  have  nothing  !  " 

When  his  brother  returned  and  heard  all  this,  he, 
too,  offered  him  meat,  but  met  with  a  refusal  and  the 
reply,  "  Give  me  one  of  your  little  children."  To 
which  he  answered,  "  The  child  is  so  small  that  it  will 
not  satisfy  you.  Let  me  go  and  get  a  larger  one." 
Then  he  ran  to  the  village  and  informed  his  friends  of 
what  had  come  over  the  brother.  And  as  they  knew 
that  he  was  about  to  become  a  kewahqu  (chenooi) 
they  resolved  to  kill  him. 

But  there  was  a  young  man  there,  a  friend  of  the 
sufferer,  who  said  that  he  could  save  him.  So  all  who 
were  assembled  bade  him  try. 

And  when  night  came  he  went  apart,  and  began  to 
sing  his  m'teoulin,  or  magic  song.  When  it  ended 
there  was  a  loud  sound  as  of  some  heavy  body  falling 
and  striking  the  earth,  which  fairly  shook.  The  next 
morning  he  called  all  his  friends  and  the  married 
brother,  and  showed  them  a  human  corpse.  "Now 
leave  me,"  he  said.  u  Go  to  my  friend  and  tell  him 
that  I  have  food  for  him."  The  Indians  did  so,  and 
in  horror  left  the  two  cannibals  to  devour  their  dis 
gusting  meal.  When  the  insane  youth  was  satisfied, 


332  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGEND?.. 

his  friend  asked,  "  Have  you  had  enough  ?  "  He  re 
plied  that  he  had.1  Then  the  magician  said,  "  You  are 
bewitched  by  the  girl  who  forbade  you  to  go  hunting  ; 
she  knew  you  would  find  a  maid  better  than  she  is. 
Now  come  with  me." 

They  went  to  a  small  lake  ;  they  sat  down  by  its 
side  ;  the  sorcerer  began  his  magic  song.  And  as  he 
sang  the  waters  opened ;  from  the  disturbed  waves  rose 
a  huge  Weewillmekq',  a  creature  like  an  alligator, 
with  horns.  And,  as  the  terrible  being  came  ashore, 
the  magician  said,  "  Go  and  scrape  somewhat  from 
his  horn  and  bring  it  here !  "  The  young  man  had 
become  fearless ;  he  went  and  did  as  he  was  bid : 
he  scraped  the  horn,  and  brought  the  scraping. 

"  Now,  my  friend,"  said  the  magician,  "  let  us  try 
this  on  a  tree."  There  was  a  large  green  beech  grow 
ing  by  them.  It  was  simply  touched  with  the  frag 
ment  from  the  horn  when  another  color  spread  all  over 
the  bark  as  rapidly  as  the  eye  could  follow  it :  in  an 
instant  it  was  dead,  and  in  a  few  minutes  more  it  fell 
to  the  ground,  utterly  rotten,  as  if  it  were  a  century 
old. 

"Now,"  said  the  sorcerer,  "  we  will  experiment  with 
this  on  the  witch  who  wishes  to  destroy  you."  So  as 
it  was  night  they  went  to  the  village.  A  dance  was 
being  held,  and  the  beautiful  tall  witch  having  paused 
to  rest,  the  two  men  approached  her.  The  young  man 
placed  his  hand  on  her  head ;  he  held  in  it  a  scraping 

1  The  human  body  which  supplied  the  meal  was  probably  in 
reality  a  deer,  or  some  such  animal. 


THE    WEEWILLMEKQ.  333 

o£  the  horn  of  the  weewttlmekqf.  As  he  did  so  she 
grew  older  in  an  instant,  —  she  became  very  old  ;  a 
pale  color  rippled  all  over  her ;  she  fell,  looking  a 
hundred  years,  dead  on  the  floor,  shriveled,  dried,  and 
dropped  to  powder. 

"  She  will  not  trouble  you  any  more,"  said  the  sor 
cerer.  "  Her  dance  is  over." 

This  is  the  same  story  as  the  preceding,  but  I  give 
it  to  show  how  differently  a  tale  may  be  told  by  neigh 
bors.  In  one  it  is  the  spretce  injuria  formce,  the 
wrath  of  rejected  love,  which  inspires  the  witch  to 
revenge  ;  in  the  other  it  is  jealousy.  In  one  she  in 
flicts  madness  ;  in  the  other  she  turns  him  into  a 
cannibal  demon,  as  Loki,  when  only  half  bad,  was 
made  utterly  so  by  getting  the  "  thought-stone  "  or 
heart  of  a  witch.  This  legend  was  sent  to  me  by 
Louis  Mitchell.  It  is  written  not  by  him,  but  by 
some  other  Passamaquoddy,  in  Indian-English, 


TALES  OF  MAGIC. 

M^teoulin,  or  Indian  Magic. 

THE  study  of  magic  as  it  is  believed  in  or  under 
stood  by  the  Indians  of  America  is  extremely  interest 
ing,  for  it  involves  that  of  all  supernaturalism  or  of 
all  religion  whatever.  But  if  we,  declining  all  ques 
tion  as  to  the  origin  of  monotheism,  limit  ourselves 
definitely  to  what  is  known  of  Shamanism  alone, 
we  shall  still  have  before  us  an  immense  field  for 
investigation.  Shamanism  is  the  belief  that  all  the 
events  and  accidents  of  life  are  caused  or  influ 
enced  by  spirits,  and  as  fear  of  suffering  is  in  all 
men,  but  particularly  the  savage,  the  strongest  moral 
emotion,  the  natural  consequence  is  a  greater  fear  of 
evil  invisible  beings.  The  result  of  it  is  a  faith  that 
everything  which  is  obscure  or  invisible  is  supposed 
to  be  the  work  of  mysterious  agents,  generally  evil. 
Thus  all  disease  whatever,  all  suffering,  pain,  loss,  or 
disaster,  or  bad  weather,  is  at  once  attributed  either 
to  a  spirit  or  to  some  enemy  who  practices  witchcraft. 
The  Shaman  is  the  priest  or  doctor,  who  professes  to 
be  able,  by  his  counter-charms,  to  counteract  or  neu 
tralize  this  devil's  work. 

It  will  be  long  ere  the  scholar  definitely  determines 
whether  Shamanism  as  it  now  exists  originated  spon- 


TALES  OF  MAGIC.  335 

taneously  in  different  countries  where  the  same  causes 
were  to  be  found,  or  whether  it  is  historical ;  that  is, 
derived  from  a  single  source.  I  believe  that  while 
darkness,  hunger,  fear,  and  similar  causes  could  not 
fail  to  create  a  rude  religion  anywhere,  as  Moncure 
Conway  has  shown,  yet  that  the  derivation  from  one 
beginning,  or  at  least  later  modifications  from  it,  has 
been  very  great  indeed. 

Investigation  indicates  that  it  was  in  Assyria,  at  a 
very  remote  age,  that  Shamanism  had,  if  not  its  origin, 
at  least  its  fullest  development.  The  reader  who  will 
consult  Lenormant's  work  on  Chaldean  magic  will 
learn  from  it  that  the  fear  of  devils  and  the  art  of 
neutralizing  their  power  were  never  carried  to  such 
an  extent  elsewhere  as  in  the  Land  of  Bel.  Now  as 
Shamanism  has  at  the  present  day  its  stronghold 
among  the  Turanian  races  of  Central  Asia,  it  may 
greatly  strengthen  the  theory,  somewhat  doubted  of 
late,  of  the  early  Accadian  predecessors  of  the  Chal 
deans  and  their  Turanian  origin,  if  we  can  only  prove 
that  their  magical  religion  was  the  same  as  that  of  the 
Tartars.  So  far  as  my  reading  has  aided  me,  I  am 
inclined  to  believe  that  they  are  identical.  "  Magic  " 
went  so  far  among  the  former  that,  while  they  dis 
covered  natural  remedies  for  natural  ills,  they  never 
doubted  that  one  was  as  much  the  result  of  sorcery  as 
the  other.  This  theory  spread  everywhere. 

Shamanism,  or  a  vague  fear  of  invisible  evils  and 
the  sorcerer,  may  indeed  have  sprung  up  independently 
in  Tartary,  Central  Africa,  Finland,  and  North  Amer- 


336  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

ica.  But  it  is  almost  incredible  that  the  use  of  a  drum 
inscribed  with  magical  figures,  the  spirit  flight  of  the 
aiigakok  or  Shaman,  and  twenty  other  characteristics 
of  the  art  should  have  become,  without  transmission, 
common  to  all  these  countries.  Shamanism  has  prob 
ably  been  at  the  root  of  all  religions  ;  there  was  a  great 
deal  of  it  in  all  those  of  the  Semitic  races,  and,  ad 
mitting  this,  it  is  not  difficult  to  see  how  from  Chaldea 
and  Babylon  it  may  have  found  its  way  into  Africa, 
where  black  savages,  who  would  have  rejected  a  higher 
religion,  would  grasp  greedily  at  what  they  sympa 
thized  with.  The  only  real  difference  between  the 
Voodoo  and  Pow-wow  practices  is  that  the  former  is, 
so  to  speak,  the  Hacker  and  more  revolting.  This  is 
because  a  low  state  of  culture  has  induced  the  believers 
in  it  to  retain  more  of  the  coarse  witchcraft  on  which 
Shamanism  was  based,  or  out  of  which  it  grew. 

For  wherever  Shamanism  exists,  there  is  to  be 
found,  in  company  with  it,  an  older  sorcery,  or  witch 
craft,  which  it  professes  to  despise,  and  against  which 
it  does  battle.  As  the  Catholic  priest,  by  Bible  in 
cantations  or  scriptural  magic,  exorcises  devils  and 
charms  cattle  or  sore  throats,  disowning  the  darlicr 
magic  of  older  days,  so  the  Shaman  acts  against  the 
real  wizard.  Rink  tells  us  that  among  the  heathen 
Eskimo  the  Shaman  is  sacrecl,  and  witchcraft  a  deadly 
crime,  but  that  the  latter  is  the  secret  survival  cf  a 
more  ancient  religion.  Voodoo,  whether  practiced,  as 
it  is  to-day,  in  Philadelphia,  New  York,  Havana,  or 
Senegambia,  deals  with  alleged  devils,  poisons,  chicken 


TALES   OF  MAGIC.  337 

bones,  the  ivory  root,  unnatural  orgies,  —  all,  in  short, 
that  can  startle  and  astonish  ignorant  natures  ;  it  is 
the  combination  of  the  oldest  faith  with  its  successor. 
Far  higher  forms  are  those  of  the  magic  of  the  black 
Takowri  whom  one  meets  divining  about  the  streets  of 
Cairo,  or  of  the  Arab  proper,  which  brings  us  fairly 
to  the  Cabala  and  the  Jew,  Cornelius  Agrippa  and 
Eliphas  Levi. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  understand  how  Shamanism, 
with  its  drums  and  darkened  rooms,  its  conjuring  of 
evil-doers  and  extraction  of  diseases  in  tangible  forms, 
should  have  spread  from  Central  Asia  to  the  Lapland 
ers  and  Eskimo,  and  thence  to  the  red  Indians.  Very 
little  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  intercourse  act 
ually  existing  at  the  present  day  between  these  races. 
I  have  met  with  a  Passamaquoddy  Indian  who  spoke 
French  well,  who  had  been  educated  at  a  mission 
school,  and  who  had  been  among  the  Eskimo.  As 
regards  legends  and  folk-lore,  no  one  can  read  the 
Eskimo  tales  and  those  of  this  volume  and  not  feel 
that  the  Algonquin  is  to  the  man  of  the  icy  north 
what  the  gypsy  is  to  the  Hindoo.  As  regards  the 
early  religion  of  both  races,  it  is  simply  identical,  and 
it  is  far  too  peculiar  in  its  many  similar  details  to 
have  simply  sprung  up,  as  many  might  assume,  from 
the  common  likeness  in  customs  of  all  savages.  For 
there  is  in  both  a  great  deal  of  "  literary  "  culture, 
especially  in  the  Algonquin,  and  it  would  be  little  less 
than  miraculous  tliat  this  too  should  have  assimilated 
by  chance.  It  does  not  help  the  "  opposition "  to 
22 


338  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

point  out  that  Algonquin  legends  declare  that  their 
ancestors  came  from  the  west.  Even  so,  they  came 
from  the  Pacific  coast,  where  Eskimo  Shamanism 
exists  in  its  most  decided  forms.  But  in  any  case 
it  cannot  be  denied  that  in  the  red  Indian  mythology 
of  New  England,  and  of  Canada  and  New  Bruns 
wick,  we  have  a  collection  of  vigorous,  icy,  powerful 
legends,  like  those  of  a  strong  northern  race,  while 
those  of  the  middle  continent,  or  Chippewa,  are  far 
feebler  and  gentler.  Hiawatha-Manobozho  is  to  Gloos- 
kap  as  a  flute  to  a  war  trumpet. 

It  is  absurd  to  laugh  at  or  pity  the  Indian  for  be 
lieving  in  his  magic.  Living  as  he  does  in  the  woods, 
becoming  familiar  with  animals,  and  learning  how 
much  more  intelligent  and  allied  to  man  they  are 
than  civilized  man  supposes,  he  believes  they  have 
souls,  and  were  perhaps  originally  human.  Balaam's 
ass  spoke  once  for  every  Christian ;  every  animal 
spoke  once  for  the  Indian.  If  a  child  can  be  put  to 
sleep  by  singing  to  it,  why  cannot  insensibility  to  pain 
or  a  cure  be  caused  by  the  same  process  ?  He  is  told 
that  the  wafer  becomes  the  body  of  Christ ;  this  may 
confirm  his  belief  that  the  Indian  god  Manobozho 
turned  bits  of  his  own  flesh  or  his  wife's  into  raccoons, 
for  food.  If  it  is  difficult  for  any  educated  or  culti 
vated  man  to  conceive  how,  if  any  condition  or  phase 
of  supernaturalism  be  admitted,  any  other  can  be  de 
nied,  how  can  the  Indian  be  logically  blamed  for  be 
lieving  anything  ?  But  the  greatest  cause  of  all  for  a 
faith  in  magic  is  one  which  the  white  man  talks  about 


TALES   OF  MAGIC.  339 

without  feeling,  and  which  the  Indian  feels  without 
talking  about  it.  I  mean  the  poetry  of  nature,  with 
all  its  quaint  and  beautiful  superstitions.  To  every 
Algonquin  a  rotten  log  by  the  road,  covered  with  moss, 
suggests  the  wild  legend  of  the  log-demon  ;  the  Indian 
corn  and  sweet  flag  in  the  swamp  are  the  descendants 
of  beautiful  spirits  who  still  live  in  them ;  Meeko,  the 
squirrel,  has  the  power  of  becoming  a  giant  monster  ; 
flowers,  beasts,  trees,  have  all  loved  and  talked  and 
sung,  and  can  even  now  do  so,  should  the  magician 
only  come  to  speak  the  spell.  And  there  are  such 
magicians.  Why  should  he  doubt  it  ?  If  the  squirrel 
once  yielded  to  such  a  power  in  man,  it  follows  that 
some  man  may  still  have  the  power,  or  that  he  himself 
may  acquire  it.  And  how  much  of  this  feeling  of  the 
real  poetry  of  nature  does  the  white  man  or  woman 
possess,  who  pities  the  poor  ignorant  Indian  ?  A  few 
second-hand  scraps  of  Byron  and  Tupper,  Tennyson 
and  Longfellow,  the  jingle  of  a  few  rhymes  and  a  few 
similes,  and  a  little  second-hand  supernaturalism,  more 
"  accepted "  than  felt,  and  that  derived  from  far 
foreign  sources,  does  not  give  the  white  man  what  the 
Indian  feels.  Joe,  or  Noel,  or  Sabattis  may  seem  to 
the  American  Philistine  to  be  a  ragged,  miserable, 
ignorant  Indian ;  but  to  the  scholar  he  is  by  far  the 
Philistine's  superior  in  that  which  life  is  best  worth 
living  for. 

The  magic  of  the  Passamaquoddy  and  Penobscot, 
like  the  magician  himself,  is  called  met£owlin,  rri'deoo- 
lin,  or  m't Moulin*  It  is  the  same  effectively  as 


340  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

which  is  from  the  same  root.  It  is  a  power,  but 
opinions  differ  as  to  how  it  is  acquired.  It  is  certain, 
as  I  was  told  by  an  old  Passamaquoddy  Indian,  of 
Sebayk,  near  Campobello,  that  some  children  are  born 
rrfteoulin.  They  manifest  it,  even  while  babes,  by 
being  capricious,  eccentric,  and  malicious.  Others 
acquire  the  art  as  they  grow  older.  From  all  that  I 
have  heard  I  infer  that  m'teoulin  takes  two  forms, 
—  one  of  witchcraft,  the  other  -of  magic.  The  former 
is  innate,  or  may  be  acquired ;  the  latter,  for  aught  1 
know,  may  be  sometimes  inborn,  but  is  generally  ac 
quired  by  fasting,  abstinence  of  other  kinds,  and  cer 
emonies.  The  two  are  distinctly  different.  Rink 
found  in  Greenland  and  Labrador  that  the  Eskimo, 
as  I  have  said,  made  this  difference. 

I  will  now  give,  word  for  word,  the  remarks  of  cer 
tain  Indians  on  this  subject,  beginning  with  those  of 
an  intelligent  and  prosperous  old  man,  who  is  cer 
tainly  enlightened  and  Christianized  very  much  be 
yond  the  average  of  his  race.  I  had  asked  him  if 
there  were  any  m'tSoulin,  or  magicians,  living.  He 
replied :  — 

"There  are.  Many  at  St.  John  and  Sebayk  are 
still  m'teoulin.  I  saw  this  myself  thirty-five  years 
ago  at  St.  John's.  There  was  a  deaf  Indian  there. 
The  white  men  were  abusing  him.  They  spat  on  him. 
By  and  by  a  m'teoulin  from  St.  John's  came,  a  man 
of  thirty-five  or  forty.  I  saw  this.  The  mteoulin 
asked  them  not  to  abuse  the  deaf  and  dumb  Indian. 
They  turned  on  the  m'teoulin.  Then  he  screamed  so 


TALES  OF  MAGIC.  341 

horribly,  so  awfully,  and  looked  so  like  a  devil  that 
the  men  were  frightened.  They  fell  on  their  knees, 
and  could  not  move.  They  let  the  man  go." 

This  is  precisely  what  is  narrated  by  many  writers 
of  the  Shaman  screaming  and  distorting  of  the  fea 
tures.  Very  few  people  know  of  what  the  human 
voice  is  capable.  It  can  not  only  be  trained  to  divine 
song,  but  to  such  demoniacal  howling  as  to  deafen 
and  appall  even  the  guardians  of  a  lunatic  asylum.  In 
Lapland,  Central  Asia,  or  on  Nootka  Sound  the  in 
itiated  are  trained  in  remote  solitudes  to  these  utter 
ances,  to  which  no  one  can  listen  without  terror.  My 
informant  continued  :  — 

"  Two  or  three  weeks  after  I  was  in  another  place. 
We  spoke  of  the  mteoulin.  The  white  folks  ridi 
culed  them.  I  said  there  was  one  in  Fredericton,  and 
I  said  I  would  bet  ten  dollars  that  he  would  get  the 
better  of  them.  And  they  bet  that  no  Indian  could 
do  more  than  they  could.  So  the  rrfteoulin  came. 
And  first  of  all  he  screamed  so  that  no  one  could 
move.  It  was  dreadful.  Then  he  took  seven  steps 
through  the  ground  up  to  his  ankles,  just  as  if  it  had 
been  light  snow.  When  I  asked  for  the  ten  dollars, 
the  white  men  paid.  I  gave  it  to  the  m'teoulin." 

Among  the  Greenland  Eskimo  the  sorcerer,  writes 
Rink,  "  after  meeting  with  tomassuk,  or  guardian  spir 
its,  sometimes  manifests  it  by  his  feet  sinking  into  the 
rocky  ground  just  as  if  in  snow."  He  uses  the  very 
words  of  the  Indian  who  described  the  same  thing  to 
me.  And  very  recently  in  Philadelphia,  in  fact  while 


342  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

I  was  writing  the  preceding  remarks,  a  spiritualist 
named  Gordon  performed  the  very  same  trick.  Hav 
ing  been  detected,  a  full  account  of  the  manner  of 
action  appeared  in  the  Press  of  that  city.  It  was 
done  by  a  peculiar  method  of  stooping,  and  of  con 
cealing  the  stoop  behind  a  skirt.  It  was  a  very  odd 
coincidence  that  the  explanation  should  thus  present 
itself  while  I  was  seeking  it. 

This  Shaman  Eskimo  trick  was  known  to  the  Norse 
men.  In  the  Saga  of  Thorstein  it  i»  said  that  Ogan- 
tun,  a  noted  sorcerer,  when  stabbed  at,  "  thrust  him 
self  down  into  the  ground,  so  that  only  the  soles  of 
his  feet  could  be  seen ;  "  and  of  Kol  it  was  said  that 
"he  could  pass  through  the  earth  as  well  as  walk 
upon  it." 

"Women  are  sometimes  rrfteoulin.  There  is  one 
at  Psesuk  (Bar  Harbor)  now,  this  summer.  You 

have  met  her.  She  is  's  wife.1  If  you  offend 

her  she  can  hurt  you  in  strange  ways. 

"  She  is  a  good  doctor.  Once  she  cured  a  man. 
When  he  got  well  he  could  not  pay  her  for  the  med 
icine.  His  name  is  Louis  .  She  asked  for  her 

money ;  she  asked  many  times ;  she  could  not  get  it. 
He  was  going  to  the  woods,  far  away,  to  trap  ;  he  said 
he  would  pay  her  when  he  returned,  but  she  wanted  it 
then.  She  said,  '  I  will  never  forget  this ;  I  will  be 
revenged.'  He  went  far  up  the  St.  John  Eiver  with 
his  traps  ;  he  set  them  in  the  stream  for  beaver.  All 

1  I  am  acquainted  with  all  the  parties,  but  for  obvious  reasons 
suppress  their  names. 


TALES  OF  MAGIC.  843 

that  he  caught  that  winter  was  sticks,  and  sometimes 
an  eel.  Then  at  the  end  of  the  day  he  would  say  to 
his  man,  i  It  is  of  no  use.'  And  then  they  could  hear 
the  witch  laughing  behind  the  bushes,  and  tittering 
when  he  came  home.  So  it  went  on  long.  Then  he 
was  sorry,  and  said,  4 1  wish  I  had  paid  that  woman 
what  I  owed  her.'  And  at  once  they  heard  a  voice 
from  the  bushes,  or  rocks,  say,  '  Louis,  that  will  do. 
It  is  enough.'  And  the  next  day  they  caught  two 
beaver,  and  every  day  two,  and  so  on,  till  the  season 
was  over. 

"  This  happened  in  1872,  in  Miramichi  Waters." 

There  does  not  appear  to  be  any  single  approved 
method  of  acquiring  m'teoulin.  Some,  as  I  have 
said,  are  born  to  it,  but  they  appear  to  be  wizards  or 
witches.  Others  are  formally  trained  from  boyhood 
by  the  experienced  magicians.  Others  acquire  cer 
tain  gifts  by  certain  ceremonies  or  penances.  Of  this 
kind  was  the  power  obtained  in  the  manner  narrated 
in  the  following  story,  which  I  heard  from  an  old 
Passamaquoddy  :  — 

"  There  was  once  a  young  man  who  wished  to  be 
come  a  very  wise  and  brave  warrior,  like  his  father. 
And  his  father  said  to  him,  '  I  get  all  my  luck  of 
every  kind  from  my  dreams.  You  can  have  such 
dreams  ;  any  man  can,  if  he  will  do  a  certain  thing ; 
but  that  thing  is  not  easy  for  a  young  man  like  you. 
You  must  sleep  seven  nights  with  a  virgin,  and  never 
touch  her.' 

"  The  young  man  thought  this  over  for  a  few  days, 


344  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

and  then  asked  his  father  how  it  could  be  arranged  or 
managed. 

"  '  I  will  tell  you,'  replied  the  old  man.  '  Find  a 
girl ;  the  more  beautiful  she  is  and  the  more  you 
want  her,  the  stronger  the  magic  will  be.  Go  to  the 
parents  for  their  daughter  as  a  wife.  Cheat  them  so. 
Before  you  marry  get  seven  bear-skins,  and  let  no 
man  except  one  know  anything  about  it.  Make  him 
clean  them.  One  skin  should  be  cleaned  every  twenty- 
four  hours.  Seven  days  must  pass  so.' 

"  The  young  man  was  accepted  by  the  parents  ;  he 
sent  the  seven  bear-skins  to  the  young  woman  ;  they 
were  married ;  they  went  to  their  wigwam.  He  lay 
on  the  bear-skins ;  he  directed  his  wife  to  make  an 
other  bed  and  sleep  on  it.  They  lay  apart.  The 
bride  thought  this  was  strange  ;  she  told  her  mother 
of  it.  The  mother  said,  4  Never  mind.  By  and  by 
it  will  be  all  right.'  The  wife  thought  it  was  all 
wrong.  When  seven  nights  had  passed  the  bride 
groom  disappeared.  He  was  not  seen  in  his  village 
for  twenty-five  or  thirty  years.  Then  he  returned  to 
his  father.  He  could  divine  all  things  by  dreams. 
He  had  but  to  take  the  magic  bear-skin  and  sleep  on 
it,  and  dream.  He  could  tell  where  to  find  good  hunt 
ing  or  fishing.  He  foredreamed  war  with  the  Mo 
hawks.  Can  any  man  do  this  ?  They  say  so,  and  I 
have  known  many  who  tried  it  in  vain.  They  could 
not  pass  the  trial  successfully." 

"There  are  stones  in  the  forest  with  names  on 
them.  They  give  great  power  to  dream.  I  have  seen 


TALES   OF  MAGIC.  345 

in  my  dreams  the  m'teoulin  of  ancient  times,  —  the 
magicians,  rny  father  told  me,  of  long  ago.  I  have 
seen  them  diving  under  the  waters  from  one  island  to 
another.  I  have  seen  them  dive  ten  miles. 

u  When  I  was  young,  J.  N.,  who  was  a  great  rrfte- 
oulin,  offered  to  teach  me  the  art.  I  could  have  be 
come  one,  but  I  would  not.  I  did  not  think  it  was 
right. 

"  Once  old  J.  N.  and  my  grandfather  hunted  in  the 
woods.  It  was  near  Katahdin,  the  Great  Mountain.1 
And  they  wanted  everything.  They  had  got  out  of 
everything.  One  night  old  N.  said,  '  I  can  bear  this 
no  longer.  Would  you  like  a  nice  pipe  of  tobacco  ? 
We  have  had  nothing  but  meat  for  four  weeks.'  So 
he  went  away  for  a  short  time ;  perhaps  it  was  an  hour. 
He  returned  with  a  box.  There  was  in  it  three  pounds 
of  tobacco  ;  there  was  cheese,  rice,  and  sugar ;  there 
was  fifty  pounds  of  provision  in  all." 

This  famous  m'teoulin  was  long  a  popular  gov 
ernor  of  the  Passamaquoddies.  I  have  a  curious  old 
brass  candlestick,  said  to  be  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years  old,  which  he  owned  all  his  life.  The  following 
remarkable  reminiscences  of  this  very  clever  old  saga 
more  were  given  to  me  by  Marie  Sakis,  a  Penobscot : 

"  The  old  governor  was  a  great  rrCteoulin.  He 
had  got  it  among  the  Chippewas.  He  said  that  it 

1  Katahdin,  like  the  Intervale  near  North  Conway,  is  haunted 
and  enchanted  ground,  abounding  in  fairies  and  other  marvelous 
beings.  But  there  is  not  a  mile  square  of  New  England  which 
has  not  its  legends. 


346  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

would  come  to  pass  that  lie  would  die  before  the 
next  snow-storm.  No,  he  did  not  care  himself,  but  my 
husband's  mother  did,  when  she  heard  this,  and  she 
cried.  Then  he  said,  '  Well,  I  will  try  to  live,  or  else 
die  in  a  month ;  but  it  will  be  a  hard  fight.'  So  he 
made  him  a  bow,  and  strung  it  with  his  wife's  hair  ; l 
and  having  done  this,  he  shot  an  arrow  through  the 
smoke-hole  of  his  wigwam.2 

"  All  this  was  at  Nessaik,  near  Eastport.  Then  he 
said  to  his  wife,  4  Take  one  of  your  leggins  and  put  it 
on  my  head.'  She  did  so.  Then  he  took  medicine. 
A  rainbow  appeared  in  the  sky,  and  a  great  horse-fly 
came  out  of  his  mouth,  and  then  a  large  grasshopper. 
He  cried  to  his  wife,  '  Do  not  kill  it !  '  And  then 
came  a  stone  spear-head.3 

"'Now,'  said  the  governor,  'this  is  all  right  so  far, 
but  the  great  struggle  is  yet  to  come.  It  is  a  loee- 
willmehq  who  has  done  this.'  (You  know  what  that 
is:  the  Passamaquoddies  call  it  wectuilmekq' .  It  is 
a  worm  an  inch  long,  which  can  make  itself  into  a 
horrid  monster  as  large  as  a  deer ;  yes,  and  much 
larger.  It  is  mtboulin  ;  yes,  it  is  a  great  magician.) 
'  I  am  going  to  fight  it.  You  must  come  with  a  small 

1  In  a  Chippewa  legend  a  boy  confers  magic  power  on  a  bow 
by  stringing  it  with  his  sister's  hair. 

2  This  is  also  mentioned  in  a  legend  where  it  is  said  that  every 
arrow  killed  a  supernatural  enemy. 

3  This  is  all  in  detail  perfectly  Shamanic.     The  smell  of  the 
frssh  fish  after  such  a  fight  is  the  same  in  an  Eskimo  legend. 
The  horse-fly  (gan)  is  Lapp. 


TALES  OF  MAGIC.  347 

stick  to  hit  it  once,  and  only  a  mere  tap.' l  But  she 
would  not  go.  So  he  went  and  fought  with  the  Wee- 
willmekq'.  He  killed  it.  It  was  a  frightful  battle. 
When  he  returned  he  snielt  like  fresh  fish.  His  wife 
bade  him  go  and  wash  himself;  but  let  him  bathe  as 
much  as  he  could,  the  smell  remained  for  days.  The 
pond  where  he  fought  has  been  muddy  and  foul  ever 
since. 

"  The  governor  could  with  a  gimlet  bore  a  hole  in 
any  tree  in  the  woods,  and  draw  from  it  as  he  pleased 
any  kind  of  wine  or  other  liquor.  Once  he  was  far  in 
the  forest  with  some  white  gentlemen ;  he  wished  to 
entertain  them.  He  did  this,  to  their  astonishment. 
He  produced  tobacco  in  a  miraculous  manner  when  it 
was  wanted.  Then,  returning  to  Eastport,  he  went  to 
Mr.  Pearce,  who  kept  a  store,  and  showed  him  that  a 
certain  amount  of  wine  had  disappeared  from  his  bar 
rels,  and  paid  him  for  it.  He  never  drank  wine  or 
spirits  himself. 

"  He  once  went  hunting.  He  took  his  wife  with 
him  ;  she  was  enceinte.  It  was  in  midwinter.  She 
had  a  great  yearning  for  green  corn.  He  put  a  dish 
on  the  ground,  and  there  fell  from  above  ears  of  fresh- 
boiled  green  corn  into  it.  '  There,'  said  he,  '  as  I 
promised,  you  have  it.' 

"  She  had  a  silver  cross  and  beads.     One  day  she 

lost  it,  and  grieved  very  much.     He  said,  '  Put  that 

wooden  dish  upside  down,  near  the  fire.'    It  was  done, 

and  when  she  turned  it  up  the  cross  was  under  the 

i  In  the  legend  of  Partridge,  a  mere  tap  stuns  the  water-fairy. 


348  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

dish.  And  lie  said  the  Ketawks,  or  Spirits,  had 
brought  it." 

The  following  legend,  told  me  by  Tomah  Josephs, 
sets  forth  another  manner  by  which  m'teoulin  may  be 
acquired. 

44  There  were  two  Indian  families  camped  away  at 
some  distance  from  the  main  village.  In.  one  lived  a 
young  man,  and  every  night  he  would  go  to  the  other 
wigwams  to  see  some  girls.  His  mother  warned  him 
that  he  would  come  to  harm,  for  there  was  danger 
abroad,  but  he  never  minded  her. 

44  Now,  one  night  at  the  end  of  winter,  when  the 
ground  was  bare  of  snow,  as  he  was  walking  along  he 
heard  something  come  after.  It  had  a  very  heavy, 
steady  tramp.  He  stopped,  and  saw  a  long  figure, 
white,  but  without  arms  or  legs.  It  looked  like  a 
corpse  rolled  up.  He  was  horribly  frightened,  but 
when  it  attacked  him  he  grew  angry.  The  object, 
though  it  had  no  arms,  fought  madly.  It  twined 
round  him  ;  it  struck  itself  against  him,  and  thrashed 
itself,  bending  like  a  fish  all  about.  And  he,  too, 
fought  as  if  he  was  crazy.  He  was  one  of  those  whose 
blood  and  courage  go  up,  but  never  down ;  he  could 
die,  but  never  give  in  till  dead.  Before  daylight  the 
Ghost  suggested  a  rest,  or  peace  ;  the  Indian  would 
not  hear  of  it,  but  fought  on.  The  Ghost  began  to 
implore  mercy,  but  the  youth  just  then  saw  in  the 
north  Kwal  lo  kesso,  the  break  of  day.  Then  he 
knew  that  if  he  could  but  endure  the  battle  a  little 
longer  he  should  indeed  get  a  great  victory. 


TALES   OF  MAGIC.  349 

"  Then  the  Ghost  implored  him,  saying, '  Let  me  go, 
and  whatever  you  may  want  you  shall  get,  and  good 
luck  all  your  life.'  Yet  for  all  this  he  would  not 
yield,  for  he  knew  that  by  conquering  he  would  win 
all  the  Spirit  had  to  give.  And  as  the  first  sun-ray 
shone  on  him  he  became  insensible,  and  when  he 
awoke  it  was  as  from  a  sleep.  But  by  his  side  lay  a 
large,  old,  decayed  log,  covered  with  moss.  He  re 
membered  that  during  the  fight  he  had  seemed  once 
to  plunge  his  fist,  by  a  violent  blow,  completely  into 
the  enemy  up  to  his  elbow,  and  there  was  a  hole  in  it 
corresponding  to  this  wound.  He  had  torn  away  the 
other's  scalp -lock,  stripping  the  skin  down  to  the 
waist ;  he  found  a  long,  hairy-looking  piece  of  moss 
ripped  from  the  end  of  the  log  to  the  middle.  And 
all  about  lay  pieces  of  moss  and  locks  of  his  own  hair, 
testifying  to  the  fury  of  the  fight. 

"  He  was  terribly  bruised  and  torn,  but  that  he  did 
not  heed,  for  now  he  was  another  man,  and  a  terrible 
one.  His  mother  said,  '  I  warned  you  of  danger : ' 
but  he  had  conquered  the  danger.  He  had  all  the 
strength  of  five  strong  men,  and  all  the  might  and 
magic  of  the  Spirit ;  yes,  the  Spirit  itself  was  now  in 
him.  After  this  he  could  do  anything,  and  find  game 
where  no  one  else  could.  To  conquer  a  ghost  gives 
power." 

To  conquer  the  dead,  or  to  fight  terrible  spirits,  to 
thereby  absorb  their  power,  and  finally  to  keep  them 
in  a  struggle  until  the  day  shines  on  them,  is  both 
Norse  and  Celtic,  if  not,  indeed,  world-wide.  But 


350  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

the  grim  spirit  of  this  narrative  is  Norse  ;  it  is  that 
of  the  hero  wresting  from  a  corpse's  hold  the  sword 
of  victory. 

"  Farewell,  daughter  ! 

Fleet  give  I  thee, 

Five  men's  bane, 

If  thou  it  believe." 

But  the  great  element  or  chief  cause  of  magic 
power  among  the  Indians  is  that  of  Will.  It  mani 
fests  itself  in  many  forms,  mere  courage  being  one. 
Thus  the  Weeiuillmekq'  confers  supernatural  ability 
or  other  favors  only  on  those  who  are  not  afraid  of  it. 
The  demon  Log,  as  we  have  just  seen,  gives  strength 
and  prosperity  to  a  man  for  simply  fighting  like  a 
bull-dog.  Beyond  courage,  pluck  or  bottom  is  with 
these  Indians  as  nearly  allied  to  magic  as  poetry  was 
among  the  Greeks,  or  with  an  Eschenmayer.  When 
the  true  magician  "  gets  mad,"  and  continues  to  get 
madder  till  the  end,  he  is  invincible.  Allied  to  this 
is  perseverance.  The  Eabbit  is  rewarded  with  skill 
as  an  enchanter  merely  for  continuing  to  try.  His 
very  failures  have  this  in  them,  that  he  keeps  on  res 
olutely,  though  in  a  wrong  road.  No  one  can  fail  to 
be  struck,  in  these  legends  of  the  Northeast  Algon- 
quins,  how  often  a  boy,  or  adult,  when  asked  if  he 
can  do  a  difficult  thing,  replies,  "  I  can  try."  All  of 
this  apotheosis  of  pluck,  perseverance,  and  patience 
is  far  more  developed  among  these  legends  than  in 
those  of  the  Chippewas  or  other  western  and  south 
ern  tribes,  at  least  so  far  as  I  am  familiar  with 


TALES   OF  MAGIC.  351 

them.  It  exists  wherever  there  are  red  Indians,  but 
the  Eastern  Algonquin  seems  to  have  thought  it  out 
more  and  made  more  of  it  than  others  have  done. 
Therefore  his  cycle  of  myths,  or  his  Edda,  occupies 
a  higher  place.  It  is  less  chaotic  ;  it  is  more  con 
sistent  ;  it  is  a  chorus  in  which  every  voice  is  trained 
to  respond  to  or  correspond  with  the  leader.  In  this 
respect  it  has  a  remarkable  resemblance  to  the  Scan 
dinavian  myths  and  poems.  In  its  theory  that  magic 
power  may  be  obtained  by  "  penitence,"  - 1  do  not 
mean  here  "  repentance,"  -  that  is  by  self-inflicted 
pain,  it  agrees  with  the  Hindoo,  and  in  fact  more  or 
less  with  all  religions.  But  it  is  only,  I  believe,  in  the 
red  Indian  and  Hindoo  creeds  that  it  is  distinctly  ad 
mitted  that  man  can  attain  the  power  to  do  both  good 
and  evil,  or  whatever  he  pleases,  if  he  will  only  pay 
for  it  by  suffering.  The  doctrine  of  power  through 
penance  is  so  simple  and  obvious  in  its  origin  that  ifc 
would  long  precede  monotheism.  A  man  exercises 
himself  with  great  exertion  in  lifting  stones,  as  in  an 
Eskimo  tale,  till  he  is  strong ;  he  practices  shooting 
arrows  and  running  after  them,  as  in  the  story  of  the 
Chief's  Son,  till  he  can  outrun  them.  Then  the  secret 
of  such  marvelous  deeds  is  supposed  to  exist  in  the 
bow,  and  it  becomes  a  fetich. 

A  very  important  part  of  mt&oulin  is  the  materials 
employed.  In  Old  World  magic  these  are  exclusively 
objects  which  startle  or  disgust,  parts  of  the  human 
body,  dead  reptiles,  or  things  singular  and  rare. 
Among  the  Indians,  very  commonplace  articles  are 


352  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

employed  indifferently  with  those  of  the  former  kind. 
The  magic  consists  not  in  them,  but  in  the  magician 
and  his  methods.  He  has  had,  let  us  say,  his  dreams, 
or  received,  while  alone  in  the  forest,  his  inspirations, 
which  have  told  him  what  to  do.  He  takes  the  ob 
jects  suggested,  and  with  them  performs  his  wonder 
works.  Sometimes  he  tells  others  to  do  the  same  with 
the  same  things,  but  in  this  case  he  is  still  the  motive 
force  ;  it  is  his  enchantment.  In  illustration  of  this 
I  give  the  following  legend  :  — 

Far  in  the  woods  was  an  Indian  town  ;  near  it  lived 
two  old  people,  who  had  two  beautiful  daughters,  and 
no  son.  The  girls  were  very  shy.  They  seldom  let 
themselves  be  seen.  They  would  not  listen  to  the 
young  men. 

The  chief  of  the  tribe  had  a  fine  son,  a  great 
hunter,  and  skilled  in  mysteries.1  The  young  man 
wanted  one  of  the  girls.  His  father  went  to  their 
parents  and  obtained  their  consent,  but  the  girls  re 
fused  to  be  married. 

There  lived  in  the  village  a  young  man  who  was 
neither  strong,  handsome,  nor  clever  at  any  kind  of 
work.  Hearing  that  the  chief's  son  had  failed  to  get 
one  of  the  shy  or  proud  girls,  he  said  —  but  all  in  jest, 
for  he  had  but  a  poor  opinion  of  himself — that  he 
was  the  right  kind  of  a  man  to  get  them.  "  If  they 
had,  for  example,  only  seen  me,  now,"  he  exclaimed, 

1  In  Passamaquoddy,  N'paowlin:  a  man  learned  in  mysteries, 
a  scholar.  This  is  my  own  Indian  name.  It  is  apparently  the 
same  with  boo-din  ;  that  is,  pow-wow  man. 


TALES  OF  MAGIC.  353 

"  they  would  have  wished  to  be  married  at  once ! " 
Then  they  all  laughed,  and  proposed  that  they  should 
go  that  night  and  try  to  see  the  girls,  and  how  they 
would  receive  the  plain  looking  youth. 

So  they  went  quietly,  about  supper-time,  and  entered 
so  suddenly  that  the  girls  had  not  time  to  hide  behind 
the  curtain,  and  so  were  obliged  to  receive  the  visit 
ors.  After  supper  they  engaged  in  playing  Ming- 
wadokadjik.  In  this  game  a  ring  is  hidden  in  the 
ashes  or  sand,  and  each  player,  with  a  pointed  stick, 
makes  a  plunge  until  the  ring  is  hit,  and  brought  out. 
(This  is  Indian  poker.  —  T.  B.) 

So  the  evening  passed,  and  nothing  was  said  of  mar 
riage  ;  and  at  last  the  guests  went  away,  and  for  some 
time  the  young  man  made  a  jest  of  his  having  gone 
courting.  One  day  he  was  far  and  alone  in  the  woods, 
when  he  met  an  old  woman  of  very  strange  appear 
ance.  She  was  wrinkled  and  bent  with  extreme  age, 
and  her  head  was  braided  up  with  a  very  great  number 
of  sakalobeek,  or  hair-strings,  which  hung  down  to  her 
heels.  After  greeting  him  civilly,  she  asked  him  if  he 
was  really  anxious  to  marry  one  of  the  beauties  whom 
he  had  visited.  "  O  Nugumee  "  (grandmother),  he 
replied,  "  I  do  not  care  about  it."  "  Only  if  you  did," 
she  replied,  "  I  can  give  you  the  one  you  want,  if  you 
will  only  say  so." 

Now  the  young  man  saw  that  the  old  woman  was  in 
earnest,  and  he  replied  that  in  fact  he  would  be  very 
glad  to  get  one  of  the  girls,  but  that  no  girl  worth 
having  would  look  at  him.  Then  the  old  dame,  taking 


354  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

one  of  her  hair-strings,  said,  "  Roll  this  up,  and  carry 
it  in  your  pouch  for  a  while ; 1  and  then  go,  and,  catch 
ing  an  opportunity,  toss  the  cord  upon  her  back.  But 
take  care  that  she  does  not  know  that  you  have  done 
this,  and  let  it  be  indeed  a  secret  to  all." 

So  he  took  the  sakalobe,  and,  visiting  the  girls  once 
again,  threw  it  on  one  of  them,  more  hopeful  of  success 
this  time.  And  the  cast  succeeded,  though  she  said 
nothing  then.  But  the  next  day,  alone  in  the  woods, 
he  met  her,  for  she  had  followed  him.  And  she  said, 
"  Tamealeen  ?  "  "  Where  are  you  going  ?  "  "I  am 
going  hunting,"  he  replied.  "  But,  if  you  have  not 
lost  your  way,  what  are  you  doing  here  ?  "  "I  am 
not  lost  in  the  woods,"  she  replied,  but  said  no  more. 
Then  he,  seeing  how  it  was,  said,  "  It  would  be  better, 
though,  if  I  returned  with  you  to  your  parents,  and 
told  them  that  I  found  you  lost,  and  showed  you  the 
way  home."  And  having  done  this,  the  girl's  father, 
noting  that  she  liked  the  young  man,  asked  him  if  he 
wished  to  marry  her  ;  and  as  both  were  willing,  and 
something  more,  the  wedding  feast  was  soon  ready, 
the  friends  invited,  and  the  couple  settled  down. 

Some  days  after,  the  husband,  seeing  his  wife  wear 
ing  the  magic  hair-string,  asked  her,  "  Where  did  you 

1  One  of  the  infallible  ancient  methods  to  make  anything 
into  a  fetich,  or  amulet,  is  to  carry  it  a  long  time  about  the  per 
son.  Familiarity,  as  Heine  observes  (Heisebilder) ,  gives  a  silent 
life,  or  apparent  sympathy,  to  even  old  clothes.  Thus  domestic 
well-known  objects  become  fairies,  and  thus  they  talk  to  chil 
dren. 


TALES  OF  MAGIC.  355 

get  that  pretty  sakalobe  ?  "  "  I  found  it,"  she  re 
plied,  "  in  my  'ntuboonk  "  (usual  sitting  place  in  the 
wigwam).  This  caused  the  young  man  to  reflect  how 
kindly  he  had  been  treated  by  the  old  fairy  or  witch, 
and  how  easily  he,  without  any  merit,  had  won  his  wife, 
and  then  to  think  of  the  deserving  young  chief's  son 
who  had  failed.  So,  taking  him  into  the  woods,  they 
found  the  old  woman,  who,  kind  as  ever,  did  for  the 
chief's  son  what  she  had  already  done  for  his  friend, 
and  gave  him  also  a  magic  hair-string.  And  using  it 
in  the  same  way  he  in  like  manner  won  the  other  sis 
ter  ;  and  it  was  indeed  well,  for  she  was  the  one  whom 
he  wanted  most.  And  the  two  men  whose  wives  were 
sisters  (wechoosjik),  were  on  the  best  of  terms  and 
much  together. 

Now  the  young  chief  reflected  that  his  brother-in- 
law  had  been  very  kind  to  him,  for  little  cause,  and 
thought  how  he  could  repay  him.  So  he  asked  him 
one  day  if  he  would  like  to  be  a  swift  runner.  "  Truly 
I  would,"  replied  the  other.  "  Then  go  and  gather 
some  feathers,  and  let  them  blow  when  the  wind  is 
high,  and  chase  them.  You  will  soon  be  able  to  out 
strip  the  wind,  and  when  the  art  comes  it  will  never 
depart  from  you."  Then  he  did  this,  and  became  so 
swift  that  no  man  or  beast  could  escape  him. 

Yet  again  the  chief's  son  said,  "  Would  you  like 
to  become  strong  and  very  active  ?  "  And  as  he  of 
course  said  "  Yes,"  the  friend  replied,  "  Dress  yourself 
in  the  worst  and  raggedest  garments,  and  attack  the 
first  man  you  find.  He  will  catch  you  by  the  clothes  ; 


356  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

but  do  you  slip  out  of  them  and  run."  This  he  did ; 
the  first  man  whom  he  met  was  a  lunatic,  who  gladly 
grappled  for  a  fight.  So  he  slipped  out  of  the  clothes 
and  ran ;  but  the  madman  thought  the  apparel  made 
the  man,  and  beat  it  a  long  time,  and  left  it  for  dead. 
But  after  he  had  done  this  with  many  men  he  indeed 
became  strong  and  active. 

Then  the  chief's  son  said,  "  I  will  teach  you  quick 
ness  of  sight,  so  that  you  may  perceive  animals  while 
hunting,  though  other  men  may  not.  Take  a  hand 
ful  of  moose's  hairs ;  hold  them  firmly  in  a  roll  be 
tween  your  thumb  and  finger ;  hold  them  up  in  a 
high  wind  and  let  them  go.  So  you  will  be  able  to 
perceive,  in  time,  all  the  moose.  And  to  see  deer,  or 
any  other  animal,  you  must  take  their  hair  and  treat 
it  in  the  same  way."  So  he  did ;  and  by  means  of 
this  magic  became  so  keen  of  sight  that  he  beheld 
every  beast. 

Yet  again  the  chief's  son  said,  "  Would  you  see 
birds  where  no  other  men  can  ?  "  And  he,  assent 
ing,  was  told  to  strip  the  feathery  part  from  a  bird's 
quills  (chekakadega),  and,  blowing  it  into  the  air, 
look  carefully  in  the  direction  in  which  it  flew.  And 
having  practiced  this  also,  he  became  very  perfect  in 
the  art.1 

1  The  secret  of  these  spells  is  very  apparent.  But  the  teacher 
would  make  the  pupil  believe  that  the  successful  result  would 
greatly  depend  on  the  color  and  kind  of  the  fur  or  feathers 
employed.  It  is  curious  to  observe  how,  in  the  over-refinement 
of  "  sport  "  among  gentlemen,  the  idea  that  this  or  that  is  "  good 


TALES   OF  MAGIC.  357 

Now,  having  learned  all  these  things,  he  asked  the 
chief's  son  how  he  could  learn  to  see  the  fishes  of  the 
sea.  And  being  told  that  he  must  collect  all  kinds 
of  fishes'  bones,  and  burn  them  and  pound  them  to 
dust,  he  did  so  ;  and,  having  blown  them  up  into  the 
wind,  he  could  see  all  manner  of  fish  and  call  them 
to  him. 

This  young  man  went  afar  in  his  thoughts ;  for  re 
flecting  that  the  whales  were  giant-like  in  power,  he 
wondered  what  might  be  done  by  magic  with  them. 
And  his  friend  said  that  it  was  true  that  the  whales 
coidd  give  to  man  unearthly  power  and  exceeding 
long  life.  "  For,"  said  he,  "  they  never  die  till  they 
are  killed,  and  by  their  aid  one  may  live  on  till  life 
borders  on  immortality."  So  burning  a  piece  of  whale 
bone  (pootup-awicjun),  he  pounded  it  to  powder,  and, 
standing  on  a  rock  that  jutted  out  into  the  sea,  the 
sorcerer  blew  the  dust  seawards.  And  erelong  he 
saw  dark  spots  far  away,  and  as  they  grew  to  be  more 
numerous  they  became  larger,  and  yet  more  numerous 
anon,  and  for  every  grain  of  dust  which  he  blew  there 
came  a  whale  ;  and  yet  he  blew  again  seven  times. 
Then  the  whole  school  of  immense  creatures  came  to 
wards  him ;  and  he  that  was  largest,  or  the  sagamore 
of  the  whales,  swimming  close  to  the  man  on  the  rock, 
said,  "  Why  hast  thou  called  me  ?  "  And  he  replied, 
"  Make  me  strong." 

form  "  and  "  the  correct  thing,"  which  must  be  done,  has  had  the 
effect  of  establishing  much  which  is  mere  fetich.  A  fox  in  Eng 
land  and  a  bear  in  Canada  must  be  killed  in  a  certain  way  by 
men  of  caste. 


358  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

And  the  Whale  answered,  "  It  is  well.  Put  thy 
hand  in  my  mouth  !  "  And,  doing  this,  he  found  and 
took  out  a  golden  key.1  "  Keep  that,"  said  the  Whale. 
"  While  you  have  it  you  will  be  safe  against  man, 
beast,  or  illness.  The  foe  shall  not  harm  you  ;  the 
spirits  which  haunt  the  wilderness  shall  pass  you  by ; 
hunger  and  pain  shall  not  know  you  ;  death  shall  not 
be  in  your  road." 

So  the  young  man  thanked  the  great  magician,  and 
went  home  ;  and  as  it  had  been  promised  it  came  to 
pass.  All  was  ever  well  with  him  ;  trouble  and  trial 
were  with  him  no  more.  Those  who  were  in  his  viL 
lage  never  knew  hunger;  the  wild  game  abounded, 
and  came  to  them  when  called ;  no  enemy  attacked 
them ;  the  sun  and  moon  smiled  on  them  ;  they  sang 
the  songs  of  the  olden  time,  and  played  the  flute  in 
peace. 

In  time  the  old  chief  drew  near  the  end  of  his  life, 
and  his  son  asked  the  friend  if  his  father's  days  could 
not  be  prolonged.  But  the  magician  thought  it  best 
to  let  him  pass  in  peace ;  and  he  did  so.  Then  the 
young  chief  offered  his  place  and  power  to  his  brother- 
in-law  (wechoosul)  ;  but  he  refused  it,  and  passed  his 
life  in  aiding  his  friend  in  every  way  by  his  power 
and  wisdom.  Kespeahdvoksit  (here  the  story  ends). 

This  legend  is  little  more  than  an  enumeration  of 
the  recipes  popularly  employed  to  obtain  certain  pow- 

1  This  is  a  manifestly  modern  addition.  There  is  every  indi 
cation  that  the  story  itself  is  ancient,  probably  Eskimo. 


TALES  OF  MAGIC.  359 

ers.  It  may  be  observed  that  it  is  limited  to  all  that 
a  real  Indian  requires.  It  is  very  different  from  what 
a  white  man  or  an  Asiatic  savage  would  have  wanted ; 
and  there  is  just  enough  truth  and  common  sense  in 
the  methods  recommended  to  make  the  whole  plausi 
ble.  The  reader  will  observe  that  the  magic  hair- 
string  and  locks  of  hair  play  the  same  important  part 
in  rrfteoulin  that  they  did  in  Old  World  magic.  This 
is  hardly  one  of  the  coincidences  which  can  be  attrilx 
uted  to  spontaneous  development  from  similar  causes. 
It  may  be  such,  but  there  may  be  also  an  Eskimo  side- 
gate  through  which  it  entered  from  the  other  side. 

Another  magic  means  was  the  influencing  high  and 
mysterious  powers.  Of  this  the  following  is  an  ad 
mirable  illustration :  — 

Tumilkoontaoo,  or  the  Broken  Wing. 
(Micmac.) 

An  Indian  family  lived  on  the  sea-shore.  They 
had  two  sons;  the  eldest  of  these  was  married,  and 
had  many  small  children.  They  lived  by  fishing; 
they  chiefly  caught  eels. 

It  came  to  pass  that  the  weather  was  so  stormy  that 
they  could  not  fish.  The  wind  blew  terribly  night  and 
day;  the  waves  were  like  dancing  hills.  Hunger  made 
them  fierce.  One  day  the  father  told  his  boys  to  walk 
along  the  shore  and  see  if  no  fish  had  been  cast  on  the 
beach. 

A  young  man  went ;  he  went  far  along ;  and  as 
he  went  the  wind  was  ever  worse ;  it  blew  so  fiercely 


360  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

that  he  could  hardly  stand.  It  seemed  to  come  from 
a  point  of  land.  He  resolved  to  pass  it,  and  when 
there  he  saw  the  cause  of  the  tempest.  Upon  a 
kwesopskeal?  —  a  high  and  rocky  ledge,  a  bold  cliff, 
but  surrounded  by  the  water  —  sat  the  Wind-Bird, 
or  storm-sagamore  himself,  flapping  his  wings,  and 
thereby  raising  all  the  wind. 

Then  the  young  man,  who  was  brave  and  wise,  re 
solved  to  outwit  the  wind-god.  And  approaching 
him  and  addressing  him  as  Nikslcamich,  "  My  grand 
father,"  he  inquired,  "  are  you  cold  !  "  And  he 
answered,  "Nay;"  but  the  young  man  insisted  that 
he  must  be  suffering,  arid  offered  to  carry  him  on  his 
back  to  the  main-land.1  And  the  offer  being  accepted, 
he  carried  the  mighty  bird  from  one  weedy,  slippery 
rock  to  another,  up  and  down,  jumping  anon,  and 
wading  through  the  pools.  But  at  the  last  rock  he, 
with  full  intention,  stumbled  and  fell  as  if  by  accident, 
yet  managed  it  so  well  as  to  break  one  of  the  wings  of 
the  eagle,  as  he  indeed  meant  to  do.  Yet  he  made 
great  show  of  being  very  sorry,  and,  having  set  the 
wing,  bade  the  bird  keep  quiet,  and  not  move  his 
wings  for  many  days  ;  not  till  the  wound  was  healed 
should  he  stir  them.  "  Sit  still,  NticskamichJ'  he 
said,  "  and  I  will  bring  you  food ;  I  will  be  attentive ; 
you  shall  want  nothing."  And  the  god  sat  still: 
there  was  a  calm  on  the  water ;  no  leaves  moved  in 
the  forest ;  there  was  no  wind  in  all  the  world. 

1  It  would  appear  that  while  the  bird  flapped  his  wings  he  did 
not  fly.  I  believe  this  was  the  same  with  the  Norse  Hrosvelgar. 


TALES   OF  MAGIC.  361 

The  young  man  went  home ;  there  was  not  a  breeze, 
the  canoe  went  smoothly  over  the  sea,  the  eels  could 
be  seen  in  the  depths,  the  Indians  caught  fish  by 
thousands;  never  before  had  they  caught  so  many. 
And  the  sagamore  of  the  birds  sat  still ;  the  Wind- 
Bird  waited  to  get  well ;  the  young  man  fed  him  every 
day. 

There  can  be  too  much  of  what  is  good ;  good  turns 
to  evil,  sweet  to  sour.  After  many  days  of  quiet  calm 
the  sea  was  covered  with  Ogokpegeak,  a  scum  which 
is  caused  by  sickness  amojjg  the  fish,  and  which  is 
thrown  off  by  them,  for  they  suffer  in  still  water. 
Then  the  fisherman  can  no  longer  look  down  into  the 
sea  ;  then  he  cannot  use  the  spear. 

Then  the  young  man,  examining  the  wing  of  the 
storm-bird,  said,  "  Grandfather,  it  is  much  better ; 
move  it  but  a  little  now,  that  I  may  see ! "  So  he 
moved  it ;  he  gave  a  flap,  and  lo !  a  slight  ripple  passed 
over  the  surface  of  the  sleeping  sea.  And  striking 
lightly  with  his  wings,  again  there  came  a  breeze,  and 
the  OgokpcgeaJc,  or  the  scum,  was  blown  away,  and 
the  Indians  fished  again,  and  all  was  well. 

So  they  had  the  Wind-Bird  for  a  friend,  and  the  sea 
was  smooth  or  stormy  as  they  willed.  But  these  Indians 
wished  for  more  than  they  could  manage.  They  grew 
tired  of  catching  small  fish ;  they  wanted  whales.  "  Let 
us  go  and  catch  the  Bootup !  "  said  the  elder  brother. 
"  How  will  you  take  him  ?  "  asked  the  younger.  "  I  will 
entice  him  with  the  pecpoogwokan"  said  the  elder, 
"  with  my  pipe."  So  he  sat  by  the  sea ;  he  played  on 


362  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

the  pipe;  he  played,  but  no  whale  came.  So  they 
went  back  to  their  small  fishery. 

This  is  manifestly  the  beginning  and  end  of  a  very 
ancient  Indian  mythical  tale.  The  Micmacs  have 
tacked  on  to  it  a  ridiculous  fragment  of  an  indifferent 
French  nursery  tale,  without  an  end  and  witnout  any 
connection  with  the  Indian  beginning.  The  tradition 
is  probably  entirely  Eskimo.  Among  the  Greenlanders 
there  is  a  caste  of  whale-fishers,  separate  and  apart, 
and  this  story,  in  its  second  stage,  was  applied  to  teach, 
Ne  sutor  ultra  crepidam,  —  that  all  should  stick  to 
their  trades,  and  that  though  a  sorcerer  might  rule 
the  winds  it  did  not  follow  that  he  could  win  the 
whales. 

I  have  spoken  before  of  the  curious  identity  of  the 
Indian  storm-king,  or  Wind-Bird,  with  that  of  the 
Norse  Hrosvelgar.  When  among  the  Chippewas, 
west  of  Lake  Superior,  I  met  with  a  white  man  who 
had  received  the  name  of  Thunder -Bird  from  the 
Indians  still  further  west. 

The  magicians  of  all  countries,  be  they  of  Africa, 
Asia,  or  North  America,  are  invariably  represented 
by  travelers  as  holding  their  flock  in  subjection,  and 
never  being  doubted  as  to  power  or  skill.  But  there 
are  skeptics  or  Agnostics  among  the  men  of  the  woods 
as  well  as  among  those  of  civilized  cities.  There  are 
shrewd  fellows  who  cannot  only  detect  impostors,  but 
turn  their  tricks  to  their  own  advantage.  An  amus 
ing  illustration  of  this  is  given  in  the  following  story : 


TALES  OF  MAGIC.  363 

FisJi-Hawk  and  Scapegrace.1 
(Micmac.) 

Two  men  met  and  talked :  one  was  Fish-Hawk,  the 
other  was  Scapegrace.  Now  the  Fish-Hawk  can  fly 
higher  than  any  other  ocean  bird,  and  he  is  proud 
and  particular  as  to  his  food ;  he  is  only  beaten  by  the 
eagle.  When  he  dives  and  takes  a  fish  the  eagle 
pursues  him  ;  he  lets  it  drop ;  the  great  sagamore  of 
the  birds  catches  it ;  but  to  less  than  the  chief  he 
yields  nothing.  But  the  Scapegrace  will  eat  any 
thing  ;  he  is  heavy  in  flying ;  he  is  slow  and  of  low 
degree. 

So  when  the  Scapegrace  proposed  to  the  Fish- 
Hawk  that  they  should  become  partners  the  proud 
bird  was  angry  in  his  heart,  but  said  nothing,  as  he 
was  crafty,  and  as  it  occurred  to  him  that  he  could 
punish  the  other  ;  and  this  he  was  the  more  willing 
to  do  because  the  Scapegrace  actually  proposed  to  fly 
a  race  with  him !  So  he  said,  "  Let  us  go  together 
to  a  certain  Indian  village."  And  they  went  off  to 
gether. 

The  Fish-Hawk  arrived  there  far  before  the  other. 
And  on  arriving  he  said,  "  Beware  of  him  who  will 
come  after  me.  You  will  know  him  by  these  signs : 
he  is  ugly  and  heavy  ;  he  will  bring  with  him  his  own 
food.  It  is  coarse  and  common ;  in  fact  it  is  poison. 
He  wishes  to  kill  you  ;  he  will  offer  it.  Do  not  eat  of 
it,  or  you  will  die." 

1  Wiskumagwasoo  and  Mahgwis.  The  Mahgwis,  or  "  Scape 
grace,"  is  a  kind  of  sea-gull. 


364  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

Then  having  been  very  well  entertained  himself,  he 
took  his  departure.  Scapegrace  soon  appeared,  but 
was  treated  with  great  reserve.  He  offered  his  food, 
and  the  people  pretended  to  eat  it,  but  took  good  care 
to  quietly  throw  it  away.  Then  he  told  the  chief  that 
he  was  seeking  a  wife,  and  asked  if  there  were  girls 
to  marry  in  the  town.  To  which  the  chief  replied, 
"  Yes,  there  is  a  mother  with  several  daughters,  of  the 
AmalchoogwecK  or  Raccoon  tribe." 

He  went  to  see  the  girls.  A  bad  name  had  gone 
before  him.  One  of  them  stood  before  the  lodge.  She 
saw  him,  and  cried,  "Mcthgwis  wechooveet!"  ''Scape 
grace  is  coming !  "  They  received  him  as  if  he  had 
been  Sickness.  He  was  welcomed  like  filth  on  fine 
clothes.  They  cried  out,  "  Ulummeye  !  "  "  Go  home ! " 
He  asked  the  mother  if  she  had  daughters.  She  an 
swered,  "  Yes."  He  asked  her  if  she  would  give  him 
one.  She  replied,  "  I  will  not."  So  he  went  his  way. 

Now  when  he  had  gone  Fish-Hawk  came  again,  and 
asked  if  Scapegrace  had  been  there.  He  inquired 
if  all  had  passed  as  he  predicted.  They  said  it  had. 
Then  it  occurred  to  him  to  pass  himself  off  for  a  great 
prophet,  a  wise  magician,  well  knowing  that  he  could 
make  much  of  it.  So  he  said,  "  It  is  well.  Remember 
that  you  would  have  all  died  but  for  my  foresight. 
That  wizard  would  have  poisoned  you  all.  But  have 
no  fear.  In  future  I  will  watch  over  you." 

Then  he  said  to  a  man  of  the  people  that  if  at  any 
time  he  should  see  a  large  bird  flying  over  the  village 
it  would  be  an  omen  of  great  coming  danger.  "  Then," 


TALES   OF  MAGIC.  365 

he  said,  "  think  of  me  ;  call  on  me,  and  I  will  come." 
So  he  departed. 

The  man  thought  it  all  over  for  a  long  time.  He 
was  shrewd  and  wise.  "  He  foretold  the  coming  of 
Scapegrace,"  he  reflected.  "  Now  he  pretends  to  be  a 
very  great  sorcerer.  We  shall  see  !  " 

Sure  enough,  in  a  few  days  he  saw  a  bird  flying 
on  high.  "That,"  said  he,  "must  be  the  Wis-kuma- 
gwasoo"  He  called  him,  and  he  came.  "  You  spoke," 
he  said,  "  of  danger  to  our  town.  What  is  it  ?  " 

"  There  is  great  danger.  In  a  few  days  your  town 
will  be  attacked  by  a  Kookwes.1  Unless  you  save 
yourselves  you  will  all  be  devoured." 

"  What  shall  we  do  to  be  saved  ?  "  asked  the  man. 
"  When  will  he  come  ?  " 

"  In  seven  days,"  replied  the  Fish-Hawk.  "  Before 
that  time  you  must  take  to  your  canoes  and  flee  afar. 
You  may  get  beyond  his  reach,  but  you  cannot  before 
that  time  get  beyond  the  horrible  roar  of  his  voice. 
And  all  who  hear  it  will  drop  dead." 

"  How  can  we  escape  this  second  danger  ?  "  asked 
the  man. 

"  You  must  all  close  your  ears,  so  that  you  can  hear 
nothing.  When  the  time  is  over  you  may  return." 

The  man's  name  was  Oscoon.2  He  led  the  people 
away.  He  closed  their  ears ;  he  did  not  close  his  own. 
Once  he  heard  a  far-away  whoop.  It  was  not  very 

1  In  Passaraaquoddy  Kewahqu\  a  cannibal  giant,  who  is  also  a 
sorcerer. 

2  Oscoou  (M.)  :  the  Liver. 


366  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

terrible.  But  lie  said  nothing.  After  a  time,  the 
scouts  who  were  sent  out  returned.  They  reported 
that  the  Kookwes  had  departed.  They  had  not  even 
seen  him.  It  was  a  great  escape. 

The  people  thought  much  of  Oscoon.  They  made 
him  their  chief.  In  a  few  days  the  Fish-Hawk  re 
turned.  He  spoke  to  Oscoon :  "  Did  the  giant  come  ?  " 
"  He  did."  "  You  escaped  ?  "  *'  By  following  your 
advice,  we  did."  "And  in  which  direction  did  he 
go  ?  "  1  "  Surely  you,  who  know  so  much  about  him, 
must  know  that  better  than  we  do."  Then  the  Fish- 
Hawk  saw  that  he  was  found  out.  He  flew  away,  and 
never  returned  to  the  town  to  play  the  prophet. 

He  who  would  cheat  must  watch  his  words  well. 

As  in  the  preceding  tradition,  there  has  been  tacked 
to  this  a  fragment  of  a  very  poor  French  tale  about  a 
king,  a  great  city,  a  royal  carriage,  and  the  forest  of 
wild  beasts,  borrowed  from  so  many  old  European  ro 
mances.  But  what  is  here  given  is  apparently  really 
Indian,  and  it  shows  with  spirit  and  humor  how  men 
tricked  one  another,  and  rose  in  life  by  trickery,  in  the 
days  of  old. 

There  are  naturally  contradictory  opinions  on  such 

1  Here  the  Fish-Hawk  inadvertently  betrays  himself.  In  the 
Edda,  Loki  changes  himself  into  a  falcon  and  flies  to  Jotunheim 
to  make  mischief,  as  usual.  Odin  also  changes  himself  to  a  hawk 
or  eagle  when  he  is  chased  by  the  giant  Suttung.  There  is  a 
strong  Norse  color  to  all  this  tale.  The  Fish-Hawk  is  very  Loki- 
like  and  tricky. 


TALES   OF  MAGIC.  367 

a  subject  as  to  what  constitutes  the  morality  of  magic. 
The  old  Shaman  or  Manitou  regarded  witchcraft  as 
wicked.  The  Roman  Catholic  has  taught  the  Indian 
that  all  sorceries  and  spells  except  his  own  are  of  the 
devil.  Hence  it  came  that  I  got  from  two  Passama- 
quoddy  Indians,  next  -  door  neighbors,  the  following 
opinions  :  — 

Tomati.  —  "  There  was  once  a  man  who  hated  an 
other.  So  he  prayed  until  he  became  a  snake,"  etc. 

Another  Indian.  —  "If  a  man  wanted  to  be  m'te- 
oulin  he  must  go  without  food,  or  sleep,  or  saying  his 
prayers,  for  seven  days.  Yes,  that  certainly.  He  must 
go  far  into  the  w^oods.  He  must  go  again  when  his 
power  was  used  up." 

The  faith  in  and  fondness  for  magic  were  so  great 
among  the  Algonquins  that  there  is  not  one  even  of 
their  most  serious  histories  into  which  it  has  not  been 
introduced.  The  Passamaquoddies  will  narrate  an  in 
cident  of  their  wars  with  the  Mohawks.  The  first  time 
it  will  all  be  probable  enough ;  but  hear  it  again,  when 
the  story-teller  has  become  more  trustful,  and  some  of 
the  actors  in  it  or  the  scene  will  be  sure  to  end  like  a 
Christmas  pantomime  in  fairy-land.  With  them  m'tS- 
oulin  covered  everything ;  it  entered  into  every  detail 
of  life.  I  do  not  think  that  it  was  so  deeply  felt 
even  by  the  ancient  Babylonians  or  the  modern  Arabs 
and  Hindoos  as  by  our  red  men.  It  is  no  wonder 
they  prefer  the  Catholic  religion  to  the  Protestant. 

There  is  a  Micmac  legend  which  is  so  magical  and 
mystical,  so  inspired  with  Eskimo  Shamanism,  that  it 


368  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

would  not  be  remarkable  if  it  had  been  originally  a 
sacred  song.     This  is 

The  Giant  Magicians. 

There  was  once  a  man  and  his  wife  who  lived  by 
the  sea,  far  away  from  other  people.  They  had  many 
children,  and  they  were  very  poor.  One  day  this 
couple  were  in  their  canoe,  far  from  land.  There 
came  up  a  dense  fog ;  they  were  quite  lost. 

They  heard  a  noise  as  of  paddles  and  voices.  It 
drew  nearer.  They  saw  dimly  a  monstrous  canoe 
filled  with  giants,  who  greeted  the  little  folk  like 
friends.  "  Uch  keen,  tahmee  wejeaok  f  "  "  My  little 
brother,"  said  the  leader,  "  where  are  you  going  ?  " 
"I  am  lost  in  the  fog,"  said  the  poor  Indian,  very 
sadly.  "Ah,  come  with  us  to  our  camp,"  said  the 
giant,  who  seemed  to  be  a  good  fellow,  if  there  ever 
was  one.  "  Truly,  ye  will  be  well  treated,  my  small 
friends,  for  my  father  is  the  chief;  so  be  of  good 
cheer  !  "  And  they>  being  much  amazed  at  this  gen 
tleness,  sat  still  in  awe,  while  two  of  the  giants,  each 
putting  a  tip  of  his  paddle  under  their  bark,  lifted  it 
up  and  put  it  into  their  own,  as  if  it  had  been  a  chip. 
And  truly  the  giants  seemed  to  be  as  much  pleased 
wjth  the  little  folk  as  a  boy  would  be  who  had  found 
a  flying  squirrel.1 

1  A  story  like  this  of  giants  in  a  canoe  would  very  naturally 
originate  about  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  where,  in  the  dense  and  fre 
quent  fogs,  all  objects  assume  greatly  exaggerated  apparent  di 
mensions.  One  often  beholds  there,  on  the  shore,  "  men  as  trees 
walking." 


TALES  OF  MAGIC.  369 

And  as  they  drew  near  the  beach,  lo !  they  beheld 
three  wigwams,  high  as  mountains,  in  size  according 
to  that  of  the  giants.  And  coming  to  meet  them  was 
the  chief,  who  was  taller  than  the  rest. 

"  Ha !  "  he  cried.  "  Son,  what  have  you  there  ? 
Where  did  you  pick  up  that  little  brother  ?  "  "  Noo, 
my  father,  I  found  him  lost  in  the  fog."  "Well, 
bring  him  home  to  the  lodge,  my  son ! "  So  the 
giant  took  the  small  canoe  in  the  palm  of  his  hand, 
the  man  and  his  wife  sitting  therein,  and  carried  them 
home.  Then  they  were  taken  into  the  wigwam,  and 
the  canoe  was  laid  carefully  in  the  eaves,  but  within 
easy  reach,  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  the 
ground. 

Then  an  abundant  meal  was  set  before  them,  but 
the  benevolent  host,  mindful  of  their  small  size,  did 
not  give  them  more  to  eat  than  they  would  have  needed 
for  about  ten  years  to  come,  and  informed  them  in  a 
subdued  whisper,  which  could  hardly  have  been  heard 
a  hundred  miles  off,  that  his  name  was  Oscoon.1 

Xow  it  came  to  pass,  a  few  days  after,  that  a  com 
pany  of  these  well-grown  people  went  hunting,  and 
when  they  returned  the  guests  must  needs  pity  them 
that  they  had  no  game  in  their  land  which  answered 
to  their  size  ;  for  they  came  in  with  strings  of  such 
small  affairs  as  two  or  three  dozen  caribou  hanging 
in  their  belts,  as  a  Micmac  would  carry  a  string  of 

1  Mr.  Rand  suggests  that  this  may  indicate  the  dark  color  of 
his  tribe.  Eskimo  legends  speak  of  people  among  them  who 
were  black. 

24 


370  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

squirrels,  and  swinging  one  or  two  moose  in  their 
hands  like  rabbits.  Yet,  what  with  these  and  many 
deer,  bears,  and  beavers,  they  made  up  in  the  weight 
of  their  game  what  it  lacked  in  size,  and  of  what  they 
had  they  were  generous. 

Now  the  giants  became  very  fond  of  the  small  folk, 
and  would  not  for  the  world  that  they  should  in  any 
way  come  to  harm.  And  it  came  to  pass  that  one 
morning  the  chief  told  them  that  they  were  to  have  a 
grand  battle,  since  they  expected  in  three  days  to  be 
attacked  by  a  Chenoo.  Therefore  the  Micmac  saw 
that  in  all  things  it  was  even  with  the  giants  as  with 
his  own  people  at  home,  they  having  their  troubles 
with  the  wicked,  and  the  chiefs  their  share  in  being 
obliged  to  keep  up  their  magic  and  know  all  that  was 
going  on  in  the  world.  Yea,  for  he  would  be  a  poor 
powwow  and  a  necromancer  worth  nothing  who  could 
not  foretell  such  a  trifle  as  the  day  and  hour  when  an 
enemy  would  be  on  them  ! 

But  this  time  the  Sakumow  (M.),  or  sagamore,  was 
forewarned,  and  bade  his  little  guests  stop  their  ears 
and  bind  up  their  heads,  and  roll  themselves  in  many 
folds  of  dressed  skins,  lest  they  should  hear  the  deadly 
war-scream  of  the  Chenoo.  And  with  all  their  care 
they  hardly  survived  it ;  but  the  second  scream  hurt 
them  less ;  and  after  the  third  the  chief  came  to  them 
with  a  cheerful  countenance,  and  bade  them  arise  and 
unpack  themselves,  for  the  monster  was  slain,  and 
though  his  four  sons,  with  two  other  giants,  had  been 
sorely  tried,  yet  they  had  conquered. 


TALES   OF  MAGIC.  371 

But  the  sorrows  of  the  good  are  never  at  an  end, 
and  so  it  was  with  these  honest  giants,  who  were  al 
ways  being  pestered  with  some  kind  of  scurvy  knaves 
or  others  who  would  not  leave  them  in  peace.  For 
anon  the  chief  announced  that  this  time  a  Kookwes 
—  a  burly,  beastly  villain,  not  two  points  better  than 
his  cousin  the  Chenoo  —  was  coming  to  play  at  rough 
murder  with  them.  And,  verily,  by  this  time  the 
Micmac  began  to  believe,  without  bating  an  ace  on  it, 
that  all  of  these  tall  people  were  like  the  wolves,  who, 
meeting  with  nobody  else,  bite  one  another.  So  they 
were  bound  and  bundled  up  as  before,  and  put  to  bed 
like  dolls.  And  again  they  heard  the  horrible  shout, 
the  moderate  shout,  and  the  smaller  shout,  until  sooel 
moonoodooa/idigool,  which,  being  interpreted,  mean- 
eth  that  they  hardly  heard  him  at  all. 

Then  the  warriors,  returning,  gave  proof  that  they 
had  indeed  done  something  more  than  kick  the  wind, 
for  they  were  covered  with  blood,  and  their  legs  were 
stuck  full  of  large  pines,  with  here  and  there  an  oak 
or  hemlock,  for  the  fight  had  been  in  a  forest;  so 
that  they  had  been  as  much  troubled  as  men  would  be 
with  thistles,  nettles,  and  pine  splinters,  which  is  truly 
often  a  great  trouble.  But  this  was  their  least  trial, 
for,  as  they  told  their  chief,  the  enemy  had  well-nigh 
made  Jack  Drum's  entertainment  for  them,  and  led 
them  the  devil's  dance,  had  not  one  of  them,  by  good 
luck,  opened  his  eye  for  him  with  a  rock  >vhich  drove 
it  into  his  brain.  And  as  it  was,  the  chief's  youngest 
son  had  been  so  mauled  that,  coming  home,  he  fell 


372  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

dead  just  before  his  father's  door.  Truly  this  might 
have  been  deemed  almost  an  accident  in  some  families ; 
but  lo !  what  a  good  thing  it  is  to  have  an  enchanter 
in  the  house,  especially  one  who  knows  his  business, 
as  did  the  old  chief,  who,  going  out,  asked  the  young 
man  why  he  was  lying  there.  To  which  he  replying 
that  it  was  because  he  was  dead,  his  father  bade  him 
rise  and  walk,  which  he  did  straight  to  the  supper 
table,  and  ate  none  the  less  for  it. 

Now  the  old  chief,  thinking  that  perhaps  his  dear 
little  people  found  life  dull  and  devoid  of  incident  with 
him,  asked  them  if  they  were  aweary  of  him.  They, 
with  golden  truth  indeed,  answered  that  they  had 
never  been  so  merry,  but  that  they  were  anxious  as  to 
their  children  at  home.  He  answered  that  they  were 
indeed  right,  and  that  the  next  morning  they  might 
depart.  So  their  canoe  was  reached  down  for  them, 
and  packed  full  of  the  finest  furs  and  best  meat,  when 
they  were  told  to  tebaJi '-dikw' ',  or  get  in.  Then  a 
small  dog  was  put  in,  and  this  dog  was  solemnly 
charged  that  he  should  take  the  people  home,  while 
the  people  were  told  to  paddle  in  the  direction  in 
which  the  dog  should  point.1  And  to  the  Micmac  he 
said,  "  Seven  years  hence  you  will  be  reminded  of 
me."  And  then  tokooboosijik  (off  they  went). 

1  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  there  is  not  the  least  exaggeration 
in  this.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Barclay  Kennan  told  me  that  when 
surveying  in  the  far  North  Pacific  he  had  an  Eskimo  dog  which, 
in  the  thickest  fog,  would  scent  the  land  at  a  great  distance, 
and  continually  point  to  it. 


TALES  OF  MAGIC.  373 

The  man  sat  in  the  stern,  his  wife  in  the  prow, 
and  the  clog  in  the  middle  of  the  canoe.  The  dog 
pointed,  the  Indian  paddled,  the  water  was  smooth. 
They  soon  reached  home ;  the  children  with  joy  ran  to 
meet  them ;  the  dog  as  joyfully  ran  to  see  the  chil 
dren,  wagging  his  tail  with  great  glee,  just  as  if  he 
had  been  like  any  other  dog,  and  not  a  fairy.  For, 
having  made  acquaintance,  he  without  delay  turned 
tail  and  trotted  off  for  home  again,  running  over  the 
ocean  surface  as  if  it  had  been  hard  ice  ;  which  might, 
indeed,  have  once  astonished  the  good  man  and  his 
wife,  but  they  had  of  late  days  seen  so  many  wonders 
that  they  were  past  marveling. 

Now  this  Indian,  who  had  in  the  past  been  always 
poor,  seemed  to  have  quite  recovered  from  that  com 
plaint.  When  he  let  down  his  lines  the  biggest  fish 
bit  ;  all  his  sprats  were  salmon ;  he  prayed  for  gos 
lings,  and  got  geese  ;  moose  were  as  mice  to  him  now ; 
yea,  he  had  the  best  in  the  land,  with  all  the  fatness 
thereof.  So  seven  years  passed  away,  and  then,  as 
he  slept,  there  came  unto  him  divers  dreams,  and  in 
them  he  went  back  to  the  Land  of  the  Giants,  and 
saw  all  those  who  had  been  so  kind  to  him.  And  yet 
again  he  dreamed  one  night  that  he  was  standing  by 
his  wigwam  near  the  sea,  and  that  a  great  whale  swam 
up  to  him  and  began  to  sing,  and  that  the  singing 
was  the  sweetest  he  had  ever  heard. 

Then  he  remembered  that  the  giant  had  told  him 
he  would  think  of  him  in  seven  years ;  and  it  came 
clearly  before  him  what  it  all  meant,  and  that  he  was 


374  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

erelong  to  have  magical  power  given  to  him,  and  that 
he  should  become  a  Megumoowessoo.  This  he  told  his 
wife,  who,  not  being  learned  in  darksome  lore,  would 
fain  know  more  nearly  what  kind  of  a  being  he  ex 
pected  to  be,  and  whether  a  spirit  or  a  man,  good  or 
bad ;  which  was,  indeed,  not  easy  to  explain,  nor  is  it 
clearly  set  down  in  the  chronicles  beyond  this,  —  that, 
whatever  it  might  be,  it  was  all  for  the  best,  and  that 
there  was  a  great  deal  of  magic  in  it. 

That  day  they  saw  a  great  shark  cruising  about  in 
their  bay,  chasing  fish,  and  this  they  held  for  an  evil 
omen.  But,  soon  after,  there  came  trotting  towards 
them  over  the  sea  the  same  small  dog  who  had  been 
their  pilot  from  the  Land  of  the  Giants.  So  he,  full 
of  joy,  as  before,  at  seeing  them  and  the  children, 
wagged  his  tail  and  danced  for  glee,  and  then  looked 
earnestly  at  the  man  as  if  for  some  message.  And  to 
him  the  man  said,  "  It  is  well.  In  three  years'  time  I 
will  make  you  a  visit.  I  will  look  to  the  southwest." 
Then  the  dog  licked  the  hands  and  the  ears  and  the 
eyes  of  the  man,  and  went  home  as  before  over  the 
sea,  running  on  the  water. 

And  when  the  three  years  had  passed  the  Indian 
entered  his  canoe,  and,  paddling  without  fear,  found 
his  way  to  the  Land  of  the  Giants.  He  saw  the  wig 
wams  standing  on  the  beach ;  the  immense  canoes  were 
drawn  up  on  the  water's  edge  ;  from  afar  he  beheld 
the  old  giant  coming  down  to  welcome  him.  But  he 
was  alone.  And  when  he  had  been  welcomed,  and  was 
in  the  wigwam,  he  learned  that  all  the  sons  were  dead. 


TALES  OF  MAGIC.  375 

They  had  died  three  years  before,  when  the  shark,  the 
great  sorcerer,  had  been  seen. 

They  had  gone,  and  the  old  man  had  but  lingered  a 
little  longer.  They  had  made  the  magic  change,  they 
had  departed,  and  he  would  soon  join  them  in  Ms  own 
kingdom.  But  ere  he  went  he  would  leave  their 
great  inheritance,  their  magic,  to  the  man. 

Therewith  the  giant  brought  out  his  son's  clothes, 
and  bade  the  Indian  put  them  on.  Truly  this  was  as 
if  he  had  been  asked  to  clothe  himself  with  a  great 
house,  since  the  smallest  fold  in  them  would  have  been 
to  him  as  a  cavern.  But  he  stepped  in,  and  as  he  did 
this  he  rose  to  great  size  ;  he  filled  out  the  garments 
till  they  fitted  ;  he  was  a  giant,  of  Giant-Land.  With 
the  clothes  came  the  wisdom,  the  rrfteoidin,  the  mani- 
tou  power  of  the  greatest  and  wisest  of  the  olden 
time.  He  was  indeed  Megumoowessoo,  and  had  at 
tained  to  the  Mystery. 

This  very  remarkable  and  evidently  ancient  tale  is 
one  of  that  kind  which  the  keepers  of  tribe  chronicles 
among  the  pagan  Indians  do  not  tell  to  the  world, 
and  which  they  conceal  from  white  men.  It  is  not  a 
fragment,  nor  is  it  unfinished,  as  some  readers  may 
suppose.  Its  plot  is  of  a  much  higher  nature  than  a 
novel,  which  ends  in  a  marriage.  To  an  Indian,  whose 
ideas  of  earthly  happiness  were  not  in  money,  houses, 
and  lands,  personal  power  was  the  one  thing  to  be  most 
desired.  As  a  Passamaquoddy  said  once  to  me,  "  To 
be  rich  in  those  days  meant  to  be  a  great  hunter  and 


376  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

always  have  plenty  of  meat  for  everybody."  Hence 
the  desire  to  be  great  and  strong,  to  be  able  to  entice 
wild  animals,  to  run  like  the  wind,  to  be  crafty  in  all 
things,  especially  in  making  war ;  hence  to  have  pro 
phetic  dreams.  All  of  this  was  to  be  attained  by  m'te- 
oulin,  or  magic.  The  highest  ambition  of  an  Indian 
was  to  become  a  Megumooicessoo,  a  mystical  being, 
which  is  explained  differently  as  fairy,  faun,  sylvan 
deity,  but  which  means  one  who  enjoys  all  the  high 
est  privileges  of  humanity  allied  to  the  supernatural. 
This  is  what  the  hero  of  this  story  gets  by  favor  of 
the  giant. 

It  may  be  observed  that  in  this  tale  the  Indian 
cannot  explain  to  his  wife  what  he  nevertheless  per 
fectly  understands  ;  that  is,  the  exact  nature  of  a  Me- 
gumoowessoo.  The  giant,  by  speaking  of  his  own 
kingdom,  gives  the  true  key  of  the  whole  mystery.  He 
has  attained  magic  power  so  far  as  one  can  exercise 
it  in  this  life.  Like  Glooskap  he  can  be,  or  unlike 
him  prefers  to  be  habitually,  a  giant.  He  has  battled 
with  the  Chenoo  and  Kookwess ;  he  has,  like  Hercules, 
fulfilled  his  mission ;  and  now  he  departs  for  his  own 
realm,  that  of  the  Megumoowessoo,  as  Arthur  went  to 
Fairy-Land,  as  Buddha  to  the  unknown  Nirvana,  — 
that  is,  to  something  beyond  the  conception  of  poet 
or  theosophist. 

I  suspect  that  the  period  of  seven  years,  and  again 
of  three  years,  had  been  employed  by  the  Indian  in 
preparing  himself  by  penance  for  m'tSoulin.  The 
respect  of  the  Indians  for  the  number  seven  is  so 


TALES  OF  MAGIC.  377 

remarkable,  that  if  it  be  true  that  Deus  imparibus 
numeris  gaudet,  they  are  in  that  respect,  at  least,  like 
deities.  Whenever  seven  or  a  white  bear's  skin  occurs 
in  these  tales,  there  always  lies  hidden  a  magical  mys 
tery. 

It  is  not.  the  least  remarkable  feature  of  this  tale 
that  it  abounds  in  that  quiet  small  humor  which  re 
calls  the  adventures  of  Captain  Lemuel  Gulliver. 
The  Indian,  like  the  Norseman,  was  such  an  implicit 
believer  in  his  own  myths,  and  he  had  evolved  them 
so  entirely  from  himself  without  borrowing,  —  since 
we  may  regard  him  as  one  in  this  respect  with  the 
Eskimo,  —  that  no  human  characteristic  detracted 
from  the  dignity  of  the  Manitou, 

There  is  a  strong  suggestion  in  this  story  that  the 
giants  were  whales.  This  and  the  incident  of  their  in 
habiting  a  mysterious  country  beyond  the  sea  and  the 
fog  would  identify  them  with  the  enchanted  land  of 
the  Eskimo,  visited  by  the  Angakok  in  their  trances, 
and  by  others  in  kayaks.  This  country  was  named 
Alcilinelc,  "  a  fabulous  land  beyond  the  sea."  The 
whole  story  of  Malaise,  the  man  who  traveled  to 
Akilinek,  is  in  every  detail  extremely  like  an  Indian 
tale.  (Rink,  page  169.)  It  has  also  a  Norse  affinity. 
The  land  of  the  giants  was  supposed  by  both  Iceland 
ers  and  Indians  to  be  in  the  North  Atlantic.  There 
is  a  Norse  tale  of  a  man  changed  to  a  whale  which 
indicates  a  common  origin  with  the  one  here  given. 

It  is  believed  that  the  m'teoulin  can,  when  speak 
ing,  make  themselves  heard  to  whom  they  will,  at  any 


3T8  THE  ALGONQUIN  LEGENDS. 

distance.  They  can  confer  with  one  another  secretly 
when  miles  away,  or  make  themselves  known  to  many. 
I  was  informed  by  an  Indian  in  all  faith  that  an  old 
witch  who  died  in  1876,  twelve  miles  from  Pleasant 
Point,  was  heard  to  speak  in  the  latter  place  when  at 
her  last.  A  very  intelligent  Passamaquoddy  told  me 
that  when  Osalik  (Sarah)  Hequin  died  he  himself 
heard  all  she  said,  though  sixty-five  miles  distant.  I 
am  certain  that  he  firmly  believed  this.  This  woman 
died  a  strange  death,  for  she  was  found  standing  up, 
dead,  in  the  snow,  with  her  arms  extended  and 
"  hands  sticking  out."  It  is  generally  believed  that 
she  was  killed  by  other  m'teoulin. 

There  are  really  very  few  ideas  in  modern  mesmer 
ism  not  known  to  Eskimo  or  Indian  Shamans.  Clair 
voyance  is  called  by  the  Passamaquoddies  Meelah  bi 
give  he. 


GLINT-WAH-GNOUR   PES  SAUSMOK. 

N'loan  pes-saus,  mot  glint  ont-aven 

Glint  ont-aven,  nosh  mor-gun 

N'loan  sep-scess  syne-due 

Mach-ak  wan  le-de-born  harlo  kirk 

Pes-sauk-wa  morgim  pa-zazen. 

Dout-tu  cowall,  yu'  eke  ne-mess  comall 

Dow-dar  bowsee  des  ge-che-ne-wes  skump, 

Na-havak  dunko  to-awk  w'che-mon  wh'oak 

No-saw  yu-well  Mooen  nill 

Mask  da-ah  gawank  la  me  la-tak-a-dea-on 


TALES   OF  MAGIC.  379 

Di-wa  godamr  Kudunk-ah  dea-on 
Glor-ba  dea-on  glom-de-nec 
Glint-wah-gnour  pes  sausmok. 


THE  SONG  OF  THE  STARS. 

We  are  the  stars  which  sing, 
We  sing  with  our  light  ; 
We  are  the  birds  of  fire, 
We  fly  over  the  sky. 
Our  light  is  a  voice  ; 
We  make  a  road  for  spirits, 
For  the  spirits  to  pass  over. 
Among  us  are  three  hunters 
Who  chase  a  bear  ; 
There  never  was  a  time 
When  they  were  not  hunting. 
We  look  down  on  the  mountains. 
This  is  the  Song  of  the  Stars. 


Ahboohe  b'lo  maryna  Piel  to-marcess  " 

We  poual  gee  yuaa 

Mar-yuon  corded  delo  son 

Ne  morn-en  nute  magk  med-agon 

On-e-est  Molly  duse-al  ca-soo-son  nen. 

Tumbling  end  over  end,  goes  Piel  to  mercess, 

With  feathers  on  his  eyes. 

To  the  maple  -sap  ridge  we  are  going, 

Our  lunch  a  cod-fish  skin  ; 

One  est  Molly's  daughter  goes  with  us. 


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